Importance of reaching out in hard times
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For Wednesday's class, we read a short story from Etgar Keret written in the aftermath of Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel. The short article tells the story of Yechiel-Nachman, who spent years praying for various blessings, including peace for Israel. Despite his dedication, he experiences disappointment when tragedy strikes, leading him to question his faith. Through the guidance of his Rabbi, Yechiel-Nachman embarks on a spiritual journey, striving to deepen his prayers and address the doubts within his heart. Ultimately, he discovers a newfound sense of purpose and connection with God. However, his life is tragically cut short due to a fatal accident. In the afterlife, Yechiel-Nachman converses with God, reflecting on the complexities of human suffering that his currently happening.
As we learned in each class, Jerusalem has significant religious and historical ties to multiple religions. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are three critical aspects of the city and the people who live there. Although the story is fictional, it is an essential piece that the people of Jerusalem should all read and understand, regardless of their religious beliefs. Its profound writing about religion, self-reflection, and the importance of community rooted in the writing is beneficial for all to read.
When Yechiel-Nachman feels distraught due to the outside world events, he reaches out to his rabbi, saying, "I no longer have faith," and "I beg your forgiveness, Rabbi, but I no longer believe." (Etgar Keret). By reaching out to the Rabbi, he discovers his faults, allowing Yechiel-Nachman to become "aware of the selfish thoughts disrupting his prayer, he began to focus on them to remove them from his mind gradually." (Etgar Keret).
This short piece of the story is critical for everyone who reads the story to understand. When feeling hurt, rather than making quick decisions such as "cutting off beards and sidelocks" (Etgar Keret), building strong relationships with your community and asking for help returns better solutions. This discussion with the Rabbi also allowed Yechiel-Nachman to become less selfish internally, a significant cause of conflict today. In conclusion, many messages can be taken from this story, and it's essential for the people who read this to understand and take those messages to heart, especially in a time of conflict.
Nice post about the story. You point out some important issues raised by the story. I wonder how to understand both Yechiel's seemingly positive shift after meeting with the rabbi and the fact that he ends up dying in a an accident after he supposedly solved his prayer problem. And that doesn't even get into God's response to the complaints after he dies. So much to think about.
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