Arne,
My basic philosophy of life, to make an abrupt change of tone, is that life so unstable that You Cannot Take Anything for Granted. Therefore I have created the concept I call NTAG (Never Take Anything for Granted).
I have found support for this philosophy in Jewish Wisdom which does NOT mean that I am in any way a traditional Jewish person. I am using applicable parts of Jewish Wisdom to support my NTAG philosophy. As a simplified and very simple example, I think that keeping Kosher is a way of reminding oneself that food is not something millions of people in the world can take for granted. I realize that this is a very simple example but illustrates the principle in a clear way.
As ever Yours,
Richard,
Well, when it comes to your profoundly sounding NTAG philosophy of life (two of my close friends died in their fifties, which make me feel that I never know what awaits me around the corner), I'm not sure whether it necessarily requires Kosher and other kinds of self-restraints. Couldn't it as well imply the opposite, a hedonistic approach to life: Enjoy today what may be out of reach tomorrow? Or, rather something in between?
Arne.
Arne,
I really don't have time to write now, but I love to discuss this topic, so I will TAKE the time.
First of all, I don't see keeping Kosher as self-restraints. It is a pure joy! (I could write a separate book about that, but back to matters at hand).
And, as I wrote, (and I really meant BOTH simplified and simple), Kosher was but one example. On this Blog there is a whole list of Jewish “phenomena” (rituals, from birth to death, literally) which all, according to my thinking, illustrates my NTAG concept.
I don’t see my Jewish involvement as a problem; I see it as a privilege to have access to this very rich and stimulating culture, enormous history, some of history’s most impressive people, books, studies, music, theater, movies and so on. I am obviously not saying that you cannot take part of this even if one, as you write, has a “a hedonistic approach to life”. I just believe that I - as an “insider” - have more access to the rich history, the humor, and that wonderful feeling of “belonging”, both “horizontally” and “vertically”. With the latter, I don’t mean vertical between “heaven and earth”. What I mean is that – horizontally – one feels “belonging” with others in this tradition – whether they live in Smygehuk (the southern most point of Sweden), Shanghai, Tel-Aviv or St. Louis, and vertically, with all those who came before us, from Moses to Moses Mendelssohn. There is a Midrash* that says that when the Torah was received at Mt. Sinai (according to the fairy tale) all living and future living of the Jewish tradition were present. In other words, we all (including you) stood at the foot of Mt. Sinai and received the Torah.
* = (A Midrash (Hebrew: מדרש; plural midrashim) is a Hebrew word referring to a method of exegesis of a Biblical text. The term "midrash" can also refer to a compilation of Midrashic teachings, in the form of legal, exegetical or homiletical commentaries on the Tanakh (Jewish Bible))
The idea is that all are connected through time and even if Judaism has changed (specially after the destruction of the Second Temple in the Year 70 CE, but that’s another story) there are still some fundamental concepts which have remained constant.
An example of the former phenomenon (horizontal): In 1984 when my mother passed away, I wanted to follow the age-old tradition to say Kaddish (a prayer that is not about death but life, but – again – that is another story) and that summer Annki and I went to Austria to attend the Salzburg Festival. I tried to say kaddish at least on Shabbat during the first 11 months, so when Shabbat rolled around in Vienna and I went to the Synagogue of Vienna and participated in the service and was thereby able to say Kaddish (The requirement that there are at least 10 people is another example of Judaism’s thoughtfulness) – and despite that I knew NO German or knew anybody there.
The same thing happened when Linda’s grandparents passed away – two weeks apart – in 2000, and we were in Tampa, FL. Same story there.
So, it is a privilege to belong to this “horizontal” and “vertical” family.
When we grew up in Sweden, and especially those of us who attended Hillel School (The only Jewish Day School in Sweden), as some of our common friends did, the emphasis was on what you MUST do and what you WERE NOT ALLOWED to do. And that’s why you write “self-restraints” and our common friend often says “I don’t have to follow that anymore” (verbatim quote), simply because they accentuated the “MUSTS” and the “MUST NOTs” - so to say. Almost none of the beautiful, stimulating, progressive, environmental-conscious, socially responsible, funny, thought-provoking parts.
To compare the Judaism that was presented in Sweden – in general – and at Hillel School – in particular – with the one I experience here is really – as I wrote many years ago – like comparing the climate in Kiruna (the northern most point of Sweden) and Kenya. (I wrote this long before Global warming was such a hot topic, so the metaphor may no longer work).
Here in America the majority of the Jewish population progressive (Yes, there are exceptions like some people in the Bush Administration), they are leaders of the American Environmental movement, pioneers in the Civil Rights movement, and so on. (74% of Jewish voters did not vote for Bush in 2004). They are strong supporters of a woman’s right to have an abortion if she chooses, strong supports of Stem Cell research, separation of Church and State, strong opponents to education of so called Creationism and so called “Intelligent Design” in public schools. It is a whole other country, as they say in the commercials for Texas.
Very eye opening.
I wrote above about the “receiving of the Torah” (according to the fairy tale) – this is another hot topic here. Who wrote the Bible? There is a wonderful book by a researcher in San Diego, called “Who Wrote the Bible?” by Richard Elliott Friedman, - I am writing about this elsewhere on this blog as well . Again, NO modern person of the Jewish “family” believes that “God” wrote the Bible/Torah and “dictated” it to Moses. That is old wives tales.
A modern researcher like Professor Friedman builds his thesis on work that was done in the 19th century by two German researchers, Graf and Wellhausen, who named their theory The Document Hypothesis. It is based on the thought that the Bible was written by essentially four authors over a period of more than a 1000 years.
Certain religious authorities, like the Pope, don’t like this at all! Their grip of people is based on that the Bible’s laws are founded on “The Word of God” – and if regular, normal human beings had written the Bible, wherein lies its authority?
That question is not a problem for a Jewish researcher. That’s because Judaism is viewing the Torah as a metaphor, a guide book, (The noted Jewish “prophet” Abraham Joshua Heschel, - who marched with Martin Luther King and who lived until 1972 - even said “as a report on revelation, the Torah itself is a Midrash” - a mind-boggling statement.), and not something “sacred” that one has to believe in “because it says so”.
An example of this – of course – is that for the last 25 years or so, the Conservative movement has ordained female Rabbis. (Like my sister-in-law). (Try to find that in the “holy Bible”).
Friedman has expanded on the Graf-Wellhausen hypothesis and his research has identified the redactor - that is the person who finally took the four’s work and edited and put it together and made it into what we now know as the Torah, the Bible. He said that Ezra – a prophet who lived 400 BCE – was the redactor and it is his combining of the four stories that we have today.
More to follow.
NTAG Never take Anything for Granted
NTAG (NTAG = Never Take Anything for Granted)
NTAG = the essence of Jewish Wisdom
In my Shemoneh Esreh work I have stated that I have found the NTAG concept central to that prayer. I tried to make the point that we are asked to recite the Shemoneh Esreh prayer thrice daily to remind ourselves not take anything for granted.
Prayers 3 – 16 – the middle portion of Shemoneh Esreh – make up what’s called the petitionary portion (Bekashah) of the prayer, while the first three prayers are called Shevach (praise) and the last three Hoda’ah (thanksgiving).
We are asked to repeat the recitation because humans otherwise have a tendency to be complacent and think that the gifts that they receive every day always will be there. We are not configured for change and we are not wired to anticipate change. Therefore we tend to “think” that all that we have now, material wealth, health, friends, family, will always be there and thus we start taking them for granted.
Jewish Wisdom said: We need to build a flashing road sign that will remind us that these things don’t last forever stave off conceit.
But the concept of NTAG pervades more than just our daily prayer. NTAG is a central concept in many other areas and the following is an outline of some of them.
1. NTAG in Kosher – Why we choose what we eat;
2. NTAG in Shabbat – the blessings of the Seventh Day;
3. NTAG in Ritual – Brith Mila, Mikvah, Bar & Bat Mitzvah, Chupah, and Chevra Kadisha;
4. NTAG in History – the story of the People and Never Take Israel for Granted;
5. NTAG in Nature – why Jewish Wisdom treasures the earth;
6. NTAG in Charity – Jewish wisdom and loving-kindness;
7. NTAG in Shemoneh Esreh – the center piece of acknowledgment ;
1. NTAG in kosher -
For those of us who have enough food to eat every day, having this privilege can easily be taken for granted. Thinking about what we eat, choosing what we eat and don’t eat, is one way to prevent us from taking that “right” for granted.
2. NTAG in Shabbat -
Once upon a time, most people were slaves. A slave’s life could easily be painted in eight short sentences; once the slave baby was born, he was immediately the property of the slave-owner. When he was old enough to work, 4, maybe 5, maybe 10 in some cultures, he started his miserable “professional” life. He worked until he died. Some were stronger and were able to work until they were 20, 30, some even 40. But most died young, very young. The slave didn’t know weeks, months, seasons or years. He worked until he died.
Out of the blue, or more precisely, out of the desert, comes this tribe of former slaves and states something astonishing: There is more to life than work! Even if the Israelites never suggested sick-leave, vacation packages, or retirement plans, they claimed this one thing: Divide the time into seven day periods and out of each period set aside ONE, just one day for rest. Do whatever else you want, but at least, at the very minimum, reserve one day for “other-than-work”. And, they said, apply this rule to everybody equally: Rich, poor, property owner, slave and even animal;
No wonder then, that this tribe was hated, hunted, heckled, and harassed.
No wonder then, that later incarnations turned into:
o “On the Sabbath, you are not allowed to …….”
o “On the Sabbath, you may not drive….”
o “On the Sabbath, you mustn’t watch TV”
o “On the Sabbath, you cannot do business….”
o “This and This and that are forbidden on the Sabbath….”
Talk about missing the point here!
These modern perversions of the original thought so totally miss the point!
3. NTAG in Ritual -
Brith Mila, Mikvah, Bar & Bat Mitzvah, Chupah, and Chevra Kadisha;
Brith Mila = Circumcision. Mikvah = ritual bath, Bar/Bat Mitzvah = confirmation ritual, Chupah = A Jewsih wedding, and Chevra Kadisha = burial ritual.
What do these rituals have in common? They represent a journey from birth to death; from Egypt/Mitzrayim (Heb Mitzrayim = Egypt but also “a narrow place”) to the Promised Land;
We acknowledge that we should not take every step of this journey for granted; How many people rush through life without stopping to think, to appreciate, to smell the roses, to stop in awe of the wonders we pass along the way.
With wonders, I don’t refer to super-natural phenomenon; wonders are just awe-some, in its literal meaning: The sight of a sunrise, the birth of a baby, the colors of a butterfly, the taste of fresh fruit, the smell of lilacs in the spring, the sound of a choir work by Mozart, none of these things are strictly super-natural, they are very much “in nature” – but just the same awesome, and therefore, wonders.
So, the birth of a baby is the first wonder.
How many cultures take this for granted? Not many – actually. Most cultures celebrate the birth of a child and all have their own rituals for doing so. The baptism of a newborn baby in a Christian church leaves no permanent marks on the child.
The Brith Mila - circumcision - makes sure that the birth is never ever forgotten. Modern explanations for this ritual, such as health aspects (which have been used both to argue for and against the practice) and other contemporary outlooks may have a place, but the original intent was – among others – to make sure that the event of your birth was never forgotten and that one needs to be reminded of this wonder on a daily basis. One can argue that the Brith Mila is there to ensure that we Never take Life for Granted.
The Mikvah.
This (ritual bath) is the place primarily used by women in childbearing age. Never take the monthly cycle for granted. The practice of Mikvah acknowledges that this process is volatile and one should be grateful for each completed cycle.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
Just like the Israelite tribe that was leaving Egypt, soon after its birth, received the Torah at Mount Sinai, so should the young boy and girl receive the Torah on his or her 13th birthday.
Torah here, in both examples, means learning, teaching, wisdom in these concepts’ widest meanings.
So, the gift of Bar and Bat Mitzvah is an acknowledgment that learning and wisdom should not be taken lightly and certainly not for granted.
Chupah. Wedding canopy
The love between two people is cherished in Jewish wisdom. It is understood that it is something unique, something irreplaceable, and therefore creates rituals to ensure that we don’t take this lightly. So, you may ask, is divorce frowned upon in Jewish wisdom? Frowned, yes, but not outlawed. In fact, Jewish wisdom realizes that if a marriage ends, which can happen, a set of rituals (called “get”) for handling that situation is also required. So, that we may never take neither marriage nor divorce for granted, we acknowledge our human need for love and our realistic expectation that love may not last, anticipate them and build tools to handle them.
Chevrah Kadisha
Burial rituals. Making a person’s death a dignified event is the one truly altruistic act we do in life: We know that the deceased person will never ever be able to “pay” you back. Here is an opportunity to show kindness without expectation of reciprocity.
The words Chevra Kadisha can be translated as “the holy gang” – they are the selfless souls who wash, dress and carry the body and prepare it for burial. Because they never expect “payback”, they can be called a “holy gang”.
One could argue that one could/should take death for granted because it comes to us all. But that is not the point: So many millions die in an unholy way: murdered, bombed, nuked, killed, starved, killed by AIDS, malaria, malnutrition, poison, chemicals, drugs, burned, gassed, butchered, trampled and knifed. That is certainly not dignified. That is not a human death.
So dying in a honorable way, being buried, missed, prayed for, and remembered on the anniversary (Yahrzeit) of your death is certainly not anything we can take for granted.
Jewish wisdom understands this. And therefore creates rituals around death and remembering the dead to ensure we never forget.
To be continued
NTAG = the essence of Jewish Wisdom
In my Shemoneh Esreh work I have stated that I have found the NTAG concept central to that prayer. I tried to make the point that we are asked to recite the Shemoneh Esreh prayer thrice daily to remind ourselves not take anything for granted.
Prayers 3 – 16 – the middle portion of Shemoneh Esreh – make up what’s called the petitionary portion (Bekashah) of the prayer, while the first three prayers are called Shevach (praise) and the last three Hoda’ah (thanksgiving).
We are asked to repeat the recitation because humans otherwise have a tendency to be complacent and think that the gifts that they receive every day always will be there. We are not configured for change and we are not wired to anticipate change. Therefore we tend to “think” that all that we have now, material wealth, health, friends, family, will always be there and thus we start taking them for granted.
Jewish Wisdom said: We need to build a flashing road sign that will remind us that these things don’t last forever stave off conceit.
But the concept of NTAG pervades more than just our daily prayer. NTAG is a central concept in many other areas and the following is an outline of some of them.
1. NTAG in Kosher – Why we choose what we eat;
2. NTAG in Shabbat – the blessings of the Seventh Day;
3. NTAG in Ritual – Brith Mila, Mikvah, Bar & Bat Mitzvah, Chupah, and Chevra Kadisha;
4. NTAG in History – the story of the People and Never Take Israel for Granted;
5. NTAG in Nature – why Jewish Wisdom treasures the earth;
6. NTAG in Charity – Jewish wisdom and loving-kindness;
7. NTAG in Shemoneh Esreh – the center piece of acknowledgment ;
1. NTAG in kosher -
For those of us who have enough food to eat every day, having this privilege can easily be taken for granted. Thinking about what we eat, choosing what we eat and don’t eat, is one way to prevent us from taking that “right” for granted.
2. NTAG in Shabbat -
Once upon a time, most people were slaves. A slave’s life could easily be painted in eight short sentences; once the slave baby was born, he was immediately the property of the slave-owner. When he was old enough to work, 4, maybe 5, maybe 10 in some cultures, he started his miserable “professional” life. He worked until he died. Some were stronger and were able to work until they were 20, 30, some even 40. But most died young, very young. The slave didn’t know weeks, months, seasons or years. He worked until he died.
Out of the blue, or more precisely, out of the desert, comes this tribe of former slaves and states something astonishing: There is more to life than work! Even if the Israelites never suggested sick-leave, vacation packages, or retirement plans, they claimed this one thing: Divide the time into seven day periods and out of each period set aside ONE, just one day for rest. Do whatever else you want, but at least, at the very minimum, reserve one day for “other-than-work”. And, they said, apply this rule to everybody equally: Rich, poor, property owner, slave and even animal;
No wonder then, that this tribe was hated, hunted, heckled, and harassed.
No wonder then, that later incarnations turned into:
o “On the Sabbath, you are not allowed to …….”
o “On the Sabbath, you may not drive….”
o “On the Sabbath, you mustn’t watch TV”
o “On the Sabbath, you cannot do business….”
o “This and This and that are forbidden on the Sabbath….”
Talk about missing the point here!
These modern perversions of the original thought so totally miss the point!
3. NTAG in Ritual -
Brith Mila, Mikvah, Bar & Bat Mitzvah, Chupah, and Chevra Kadisha;
Brith Mila = Circumcision. Mikvah = ritual bath, Bar/Bat Mitzvah = confirmation ritual, Chupah = A Jewsih wedding, and Chevra Kadisha = burial ritual.
What do these rituals have in common? They represent a journey from birth to death; from Egypt/Mitzrayim (Heb Mitzrayim = Egypt but also “a narrow place”) to the Promised Land;
We acknowledge that we should not take every step of this journey for granted; How many people rush through life without stopping to think, to appreciate, to smell the roses, to stop in awe of the wonders we pass along the way.
With wonders, I don’t refer to super-natural phenomenon; wonders are just awe-some, in its literal meaning: The sight of a sunrise, the birth of a baby, the colors of a butterfly, the taste of fresh fruit, the smell of lilacs in the spring, the sound of a choir work by Mozart, none of these things are strictly super-natural, they are very much “in nature” – but just the same awesome, and therefore, wonders.
So, the birth of a baby is the first wonder.
How many cultures take this for granted? Not many – actually. Most cultures celebrate the birth of a child and all have their own rituals for doing so. The baptism of a newborn baby in a Christian church leaves no permanent marks on the child.
The Brith Mila - circumcision - makes sure that the birth is never ever forgotten. Modern explanations for this ritual, such as health aspects (which have been used both to argue for and against the practice) and other contemporary outlooks may have a place, but the original intent was – among others – to make sure that the event of your birth was never forgotten and that one needs to be reminded of this wonder on a daily basis. One can argue that the Brith Mila is there to ensure that we Never take Life for Granted.
The Mikvah.
This (ritual bath) is the place primarily used by women in childbearing age. Never take the monthly cycle for granted. The practice of Mikvah acknowledges that this process is volatile and one should be grateful for each completed cycle.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
Just like the Israelite tribe that was leaving Egypt, soon after its birth, received the Torah at Mount Sinai, so should the young boy and girl receive the Torah on his or her 13th birthday.
Torah here, in both examples, means learning, teaching, wisdom in these concepts’ widest meanings.
So, the gift of Bar and Bat Mitzvah is an acknowledgment that learning and wisdom should not be taken lightly and certainly not for granted.
Chupah. Wedding canopy
The love between two people is cherished in Jewish wisdom. It is understood that it is something unique, something irreplaceable, and therefore creates rituals to ensure that we don’t take this lightly. So, you may ask, is divorce frowned upon in Jewish wisdom? Frowned, yes, but not outlawed. In fact, Jewish wisdom realizes that if a marriage ends, which can happen, a set of rituals (called “get”) for handling that situation is also required. So, that we may never take neither marriage nor divorce for granted, we acknowledge our human need for love and our realistic expectation that love may not last, anticipate them and build tools to handle them.
Chevrah Kadisha
Burial rituals. Making a person’s death a dignified event is the one truly altruistic act we do in life: We know that the deceased person will never ever be able to “pay” you back. Here is an opportunity to show kindness without expectation of reciprocity.
The words Chevra Kadisha can be translated as “the holy gang” – they are the selfless souls who wash, dress and carry the body and prepare it for burial. Because they never expect “payback”, they can be called a “holy gang”.
One could argue that one could/should take death for granted because it comes to us all. But that is not the point: So many millions die in an unholy way: murdered, bombed, nuked, killed, starved, killed by AIDS, malaria, malnutrition, poison, chemicals, drugs, burned, gassed, butchered, trampled and knifed. That is certainly not dignified. That is not a human death.
So dying in a honorable way, being buried, missed, prayed for, and remembered on the anniversary (Yahrzeit) of your death is certainly not anything we can take for granted.
Jewish wisdom understands this. And therefore creates rituals around death and remembering the dead to ensure we never forget.
To be continued
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