Awe

Why Blog?

It’s interesting this blogging. Christopher Ricks, a professor at Boston University, has written extensively on the lyrics of Bob Dylan. Dylan, who is notoriously reclusive, writes very personal and revealing lyrics. “Dylan (repeatedly makes)” says Ricks “terrific self-exposures but at the same time remaining extraordinarily unknown.”

Sometimes I think this is the blog experience. We reveal in order to, in the end, conceal. After all, blogs are anonymous. We want our voice to be known, but we don’t want anyone to know it’s our voice. We are the opposite of Samuel Beckett, who in refusing an interview, said “I have no views to inter.” We have so many opinions we cannot hold them in but I'm not sure we want to claim them either.

What makes a good drash (Hebrew meaning ‘explanation’)? I’ll give you a secular example.

I recently visited Harper’s Ferry with my best friend. We were sitting outside the building where John Brown made his last stand in 1859. He had to decide whether he would fight to the death or allow himself to be captured. (Ultimately he was captured alive). My friend commented that Brown had to make a 10-10-10 decision. Just the day before she had read a little bit of a book called ’10-10-10’ the premise of which is that decisions should be made considering how that decision will affect the next 10 minutes, next 10 months, and next 10 years of your life.
John Brown spent the 3 months of his incarceration writing letters about abolition and his popularity in the North soared along with his cause. When he was executed he handed a note to the executioner which read “I now believe that the crimes of this nation will not be washed away but with blood.”

Clearly the fact that John Brown’s words and deeds come down to us today means that he choose the right 10. He looked past his immediate death (10 minutes or 10 months) and made his decisions based on what his actions would mean in 10 years.

This is a great drash because:
- it provides a new tool to evaluate the story (10-10-10)
- using that tool allows us to see the story in a new way
- after hearing 10-10-10 being used in this way, we cannot help but think of our own decisions in this same way.In other words, the drash illuminates both the story and our own way of thinking. Now that’s a good drash.

When I toured Jewish Theological Seminary in February a met a student who shared with me a wonderful insight on a Torah portion she had learned from her friend just the night before. She said “I am so fortunate to have smart and insightful friends.” I too share that good fortune.
Thanks A-M!