#627 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Thursday April 6)
Good morning,
Given that this week is Passover, a holiday based upon the telling of a seminal story, I thought I’d stick to the idea of stories today.
WHAT’S THE PURPOSE OF A STORY?
All cultures have stories that are passed down through the generations. The central myth of the Jewish people is the Passover story. The telling of this central story does not take place in a synagogue. It is not told by the clergy. It is told at the home.
The story is familiar to most everyone—Jews and non-Jews alike. The people were slaves and they had a charismatic leader who led them forth. With the help of God and the leadership of Moses, they escaped Egypt and found their freedom.
Much scholarship has been devoted to the authorship of the bible. There are those who will maintain that God wrote it. Others will suggest God directed men to write down the story. Most modern scholarship suggests multiple writers. Regardless of one’s beliefs, does this even matter. What elevates biblical stories from Aesop’s Fables or Shakespeare is that the authors intended that the work was one of divine purpose that would have profound and enduring lessons for the readers. This is why even nonbelievers can recount stories like the Exodus with passion—the facts are important but the foundational myth is even more important.
I like to think that the Passover seder is a transcendental story. The freedom of the former slaves is achieved through their collective efforts and a sense of a higher justification, whether a deity or a set of values. I believe the storytelling of Passover has three functions and that those functions are shared by other foundational myths of other religions and peoples:
1. The story establishes a context for the people. In establishing a shared narrative, it creates “peoplehood.” That peoplehood is based upon an ancient experience shared by forebears and the fact the story is retold.
2. The story establishes a value system that is both personal to the people and yet applicable to the greater world.
3. The story can be applied to the big issues (and even the small issues) that we face in each generation. What is our purpose? What responsibilities to we have for the Earth and toward each other? How will the story this year inform our behaviors in the coming year?
The Sonnenberg seder is a mix of the Passover story, some readings and stories related to the story of freedom (both physical and intellectual), with some humorous games thrown in. The value of the story is, in the end, not so much in the story itself as in the purposes it serves.
JEW-PARDY
People have asked about the game of “Jew-pardy!” that the Sonnenbergs play at Passover. It’s a spin on “Jeopardy,” with serious and humorous categories. Here are a few, in the form of answers (as in Jeopardy!). The correct questions are forthcoming—try your luck for now:
JEWS OR NO JEW—IN THE MEDIA
This singer may have been born here and has a name suggesting his religion, but he’s not in the tribe.
She is a woman of wonder and also of Israel.
Although he played a surgeon in Korea, he isn’t Jewish…doctor or otherwise.
While many media moguls may be semitic, this right-wing one thankfully isn’t one of ours.
He writes wizardly poetry under his mother’s maiden name of Gershon.
She’s an American idol and dancer.
JEWS WE LOVE AND HATE
He was the master of “shuttle diplomacy”
She is notorious
Hard to know if the father or the father-in-law of this famous former White House official and current venture capitalist bankrolled by the Saudis was the worst person in NY real estate
He steered the fed and the economy through multiple decades
Sadly, his casting couch was a busy place.
JEWS IN SPORTS
They were managed by the first Jewish major league manager
This batting title and MVP winner was known as “the Hammerin’ Hebrew”
He was one of the greatest at his craft and wore number 32
This recent Olympic figure skater’s last name is the name of the priestly class from the Torah
He was a catcher and a spy. He toured Europe with Ruth and Gehrig (though did not approach their skill), while doing a little spying on the side
Have a great Passover, a meaningful Easter and, of course, a great baseball season!
Glenn
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