Nine Essential Things, and What’s Been Subtracted

I’m participating in the Association of Jewish Libraries’ Chanukah reading challenge called #Readukkah and I decided to read and review two books: Harold Kushner’s latest (and possibly his final book, he admits), Nine Essential Things I’ve Learned About Life. Toward the end of the holiday, I’ll review T.K. Thorne’s Angels at the Gate.

First, Nine Essential Things, a small book divided into nine chapters, each with a lesson or viewpoint that has framed the rabbi’s life and teachings. In exploring how and why humans are moral and where altruism comes from, he uses the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, telling first the Sunday school story of original sin, but then instead of going into some of the more sophisticated interpretations that I’m familiar with, he delves into definitions of male and female and interpretations that were written during Talmudic times and when Christanity was first being formed during the height of the Roman empire, a time when religious leaders were strongly influenced by Hellenistic thinking that male warriors were the pinnacle of human existence and females simply prizes or diversions. Fascinating stuff, and a great reminder that our stories have been influenced down through the generations and continue to be interpreted anew today, as Kushner does to prove his point that humans are different from animals because of our innate sense of altruism.

The last chapter of the book explains why we should give God the benefit of the doubt and lays out a vision of the world in the midst of fixing itself. Especially apt after the attacks in Paris, the shooting in San Bernardino, and the continual fight against terrorism and violence all over the world. “Can we trust the world?” Kushner asks. “I can’t say yes, but I refuse to say no, so I answer, ‘Not yet.'”

And in case you were desperate to know what Hank was talking about in his last blog post, here’s the photo evidence:

Just a little off the back, please… (Eliana’s first haircut)

by Max Ma on

https://s.yimg.com/rq/darla/2-8-9/html/r-sf.html