TYOLB - Last Notes & Questions for you

So, my last post on The Year of Living Biblically did not include all the notes I had written from AJ Jacobs' book. I'd actually copied a bit more that I figured I'd put on my March Books post at month's end, but since I've not posted much lately I figured "eh, why not post these few things for now?"  Thus, my final notes. And I do mean final this time for sure since I am planning to return the book to the library tomorrow.  :) 



Reading the Bible without the benefit of commentary or tradition, AJ notes one would likely come away thinking Jacob was the awful twin and Esau was taken advantage of. What brother wouldn't give his brother a bowl of soup if he were hungry? Why demand such a high price? This is where rabbinical tradition comes into play.  One thing AJ learned from it: Esau was "a slave to his urges, pure id, and an exaggerator to boot. He'd do anything for a snack, including selling the sacred birthright; he showed no respect for what God had given him."  (pg. 239)


After reading through "rabbinically tinted lenses" AJ could see Esau's flaws more, but added: "Still, I don't want to whitewash Jacob. I love the complexity of the patriarchs, that their flaws are as numerous as the stars in the sky and, in some cases, come close to eclipsing their righteousness.  And I am awed by the profound and extraordinary fact that the entire Judeo-Christian heritage hinged on a bowl of soup."  (pg. 240)




I have to admit that I've always seen Jacob as quite the, er, well, let's just say I'd never hope to have a child like him!  But I do appreciate AJ's thoughts on the "complexity of the patriarchs" and his being okay with their being flawed individuals.  It demonstrates for me again how God can use sinful humans to accomplish His purposes.





AJ met Jews from different perspectives.  Some like Mr. Berkowitz liked that religion told him exactly what to do, what types of materials to wear, what to eat for meals, even how to put on his shoes! Yet, Mr. Greenberg told him, "'Never blame a text from the Bible for your behavior. It's irresponsible.  Anybody who says X,Y, and Z is in the Bible -- it's as if one says, 'I have no role in evaluating this.'"  Whereas Berkowitz celebrated religion giving him freedom from choice (which reminded me of Amber's recent post, Abdicating Responsibility) Greenberg "grappled" with the Bible.  (pg. 268)



Which do you prefer? Which do you think is more accurate?  Religion giving you freedom from choice because it spells every.single.thing.out. for you? Or religion making you wrestle with the texts
and not excusing you for your actions?  Or maybe you prefer something in between those two views?

Remember the story Jesus told about the prodigal son?  Here is what AJ thought upon reading it:

When I first read the parable of the prodigal son, I was perplexed.  I felt terrible for the older brother.  The poor man put in all these years of loyal service, and his brother skips town, has a wild good time, then returns, and gets a huge feast? It seems outrageously unfair.

But that's if you're thinking quantitatively. If you're looking at life as a balance sheet. There's a beauty to forgiveness, especially forgiveness that goes beyond rationality.  Unconditional love is an illogical notion, such a great and powerful one. (pg. 275)

Do you tend to look at life issues in terms of a balance sheet, something rational where rewards can be given out in a fair manner? Or do you see life as wild and messy and with "illogical notions" such as unconditional love and forgiveness coming into play?  Which do you prefer?  Why?






AJ admitted that he had a foul mouth, but after reading the Bible's warnings about cursing and not having bad communication, he fought both gossiping and using bad words.  At one point his wife laughed at his attempts...


"She can mock me, but the weird thing is, I think my G-rated language is making me a less angry person.  Because here's the way it works:

I'll get to the subway platform just as the downtown train is pulling away and I'll start to say the F-word, I'll remember to censor myself. So I'll turn it into 'fudge' at the last second.  When I hear myself say 'fudge' out loud, it sounds so folksy, so Jimmy Stewart-ish and amusingly dorky, that I can't  help but smile. My anger recedes. Once again, behavior shapes emotions."  (pg. 282)

Thoughts?

Lessons Learned from "The Year of Living Biblically"

In this final post about The Year of Living Biblically I want to record a few lessons that either the author pointed out while writing about his year-long project or lessons I learned from his experiences.  Joni recommended that I read this book because her husband was reading it, had read parts of it to her and she thought it would be of interest to me.  As I said in my initial post, it was different than what I expected. I thought it would be more serious.  A man who worked at soup kitchens and washed people's feet and AJ Jacobs did do the former, but - again - this book was much more humorous than I imagined. (It even has a "HUMOR" label on the back cover.) 

So here are some final things about this book.


I recall that AJ would admit how difficult it was for him to pray. Other parts of his project - wearing certain clothes, eating kosher foods - were fine, but as an agnostic, worshiping God when he didn't know if God existed felt weird.  Yet the more he did it, the more he felt OK with it.  As he gave thanks for food and drink and the fact that he made it to and from work safely, he realized how many things went right every day, how many good things there were in life. By giving thanks, AJ developed a more grateful attitude.

And I like this!  When we focus on being thankful, we aren't moping about how bad life is and complaining and gossiping. So that's a good lesson!

Another...



One day as AJ was admiring an article he'd written for his work, he suddenly stopped short...

Here I am being prideful about creating an article in a midsize American magazine. But God -- if He exists -- He created the world.  He created flamingos and supernovas and geysers and beetles and the stones for these steps I'm sitting on.

"Praise the Lord," I say out loud.

I'd always found the praising-God parts of the Bible and my prayer books awkward.  The sentences about the all-powerful, almighty, all-knowing, the host of hosts, He who has greatness beyond our comprehension.  I'm not used to talking like that. It's so over the top. I'm used to understatement and hedging and irony. And why would God need to be praised in the first place?  God shouldn't be insecure. He's the ultimate being.

Now I can sort of see why. It's not for him. It's for us.  It takes you out of yourself and your prideful little brain.  (pg. 220)

And I like this!  When we start focusing on God, we stop being proud and self-centered. We realize how insignificant the things we "create" really are so why should we go about thinking we are "all that" compared to the neighbor next door or someone in another culture?


Another ...

During his year-long project AJ gets input from groups who follow the Bible - some more literally than others. He visits the Amish, Orthodox Jews, evangelical Christians, serpent handlers in Tennessee and a creationist museum in Kentucky.  Even though he admits that he could never believe the creationist point of view since it's not based on science, he admits they did teach him that life isn't random and that we do have a place in this universe.  Later in the book he notes, "My existence is not a meaningless collection of actions, so I should take seriously every decision." (pg. 275)

And I like this! The Bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made!  We aren't products of chance who have no purpose in life.  While we should never have inflated pride in thinking we are better than others, we should realize our lives have meaning and we are here for a reason. Our decisions matter.



Lastly and most importantly...


On day 336 AJ mentioned that he'd had a "bit of a mental breakdown" the week before about his Bible project.

"In the final stretch, I've been frantically trying to read every single book on religion, trying to interview every religious leader, trying to figure out how to obey every rule.  What if I miss an insight? What if I overlook a potential translation?  I haven't paid God five shekels to redeem my first-born son. I haven't talked to a Seventh-day Adventist yet. What if they have the secret?  I've barely made a dent in the Bible."  (pg. 313)

I remember when I mentioned on Facebook that I was reading this book. I'd only read maybe 50 or 75 pages (out of more than 350) and my friend said that her husband was a bit frustrated with the author's fearfulness. At the time nothing had bothered me this way, but I said I'd look out for it.  AJ had admitted he was a germophobe so I thought maybe that would come into play in an annoying way, but nothing like that bothered me.  Then as I read further I realized maybe AJ's fear that bothered Josh was his inability to keep every rule, his list of 700-plus biblical rules were too many to keep up with!  If he focused on food laws and eating kosher, he couldn't focus on praising God or avoiding lying so much.  Not gossiping. Not lusting.  Those were super-tough and AJ was honest in admitting this.  Rather than this frustrating me, it made me note this Monday night as I finished the book:  "his wanting to keep all the rules, striving, yet he cannot: that is THE POINT."

AJ (rather, using him as a metaphor for all those who take God seriously) was trying to earn God's favor by keeping every rule. By wearing his hair a certain way, by growing a beard, by not mixing fabrics, by eating certain foods and avoiding others, by not lying, by not coveting or lusting or stealing or murdering, by keeping no record of wrongs, by forgiving, by doing good just for the sake of doing good, by giving a tithe, by feeding the poor.

He realized it was exhausting. It caused a "bit of a mental breakdown"! 


This is what is great about grace. The Law was there to show us we could never measure up to God.  It was a tutor, a school teacher if you will.  It taught us, there is no way I can keep myself pure.  Even if I keep these rules, I still have to worry about ritual impurities almost constantly.

This is why Jesus is important.  He made a way where we don't have to keep 700-plus rules in order to reach God.  He is the bridge.  We can rest in the work he did for us on the cross and fall on the mercy and grace of God.

"God, I can't keep all these rules!  Trying to do everything right is driving me nuts!  I cry out for your mercy in dealing with me. God, be merciful to me a sinner!" 

And the wonderful thing is, God is merciful. God is full of grace.  He abundantly pardons. He is the Savior.


And I love this! Enough said.

Food Laws & AJ's TED Talk

 Here are some more tidbits from AJ Jacobs in The Year of Living Biblically.  Also I found a TED talk he did a few years back which mentions some experiences from this book including one of my favorites concerning what his wife did so he'd have to buy his own fold-up chair ...or remain standing within his own house!  :)


About the religious food laws: they sharpen your discipline. 

"The famous twelfth-century philosopher Maimonides says this is precisely their purpose: '[They] train us to master our appetites; to accustom us to restrain our desires; and to avoid considering the pleasure of eating and drinking as the goal of man's existence.'"  (pg. 171)


Although we don't know that this is the true reason, I actually appreciate the thought behind it. Living in a culture that indulges quite often in food, drink and even materialism, I can see the wisdom in teaching humans to master their appetites and realize that there are more important things in the world than whether or not your cheeseburger is cooked right. Like why do we yell at waitresses as if our food is more important to us than they are?  (Sorry. I fell into one of my pastor's pet peeves.) 


Many of us know the Mosaic Law's prohibitions against eating pork or shellfish or birds of prey, but there is also a biblical rule concerning fruit. You may not eat of a tree fewer than five years old. So AJ researched which trees produced fruit fast and avoided them. Peach trees, for example, can produce fruit within two years.  Cherry trees, on the other hand, take at least five years before producing fruit so he felt safe eating them.   He noted: "The fruit taboo made me more aware of the whole cherry process, the seed, the soil, the five years of watering and waiting. That's the paradox: I thought religion would make me live with my head in the clouds, but as often as not, it grounds me in this world."  (pg. 172)


Not many insects are kosher, but locusts, crickets and grasshoppers are.  AJ's secular mind mulls the logic here. Why would God deem these bugs as permissible to eat? 

"One book I read -- The Unauthorized Version by Robin Lane Fox -- had a theory.  It said that in biblical times, swarming locusts would often devour the crops and cause famines. The only way for the poor to survive was by eating the locusts themselves. So if the Bible didn't approve of locust eating, the poorest Israelites would have died of starvation. This I like.  More and more, I feel it's important to look at the Bible with an open heart. If you roll up your sleeves, even the oddest passages -- and the one about edible bugs qualifies -- can be seen as a sign of God's mercy and compassion."  (pg. 176)





What do you think of AJ lessons from food laws?  Thoughts on the video or anything else shared?

Community vs. Individualism; More from "The Year of Living Biblically"

So last evening I introduced The Year of Living Biblically and today I wanted to share a bit more from author AJ Jacobs.  This topic was especially interesting to me because I also have been reading a history book by Stephen Ambrose and I noticed how tribes and soldiers were parts of groups working for common goals.

As I've become more interested in other cultures during the past few years, I've compared and contrasted them with my own. Why do these people stress community over individuality? Why does a daughter's honor matter so much to this extended family that they would kill for her sexual purity? Why does everyone have to toe the line in order to be accepted? Why does it matter that much if a child apostasizes from the religion of his family?

I've also noted the community emphasis of religion. The Bible says not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together because we are to encourage and exhort each other.  I guess the Lone Ranger Believer is not how God designed it.  Even from Genesis, God noted it's not good for man to be alone. We are to belong to families and communities. Relationships are important to God.  Perhaps it's too bad I tend to fall on the individualistic, loner side of life quite often. 

Enough chitchat, read about AJ's experience . . .


While visiting Jerusalem AJ noticed the groups of Christians, Jews and Muslims and felt oddly out of place, a stranger in a strange land, alone where everyone else "belongs to his or her own gated spiritual community."  He notes: "It drives home a disturbing point: My quest is a paradoxical one. I'm trying to fly solo on a route that was specifically designed for a crowd.  As one of my spiritual advisers, David Bossman, a religious professor at Seton Hall University, told me: 'The people of the Bible were "groupies." You did what the group did, you observed the customs of your group. Only the crazy Europeans came up with the idea of individualism. So what you're doing is modern phenomenon.'" 



He then notes how much he likes individualism, how it's been part of his life.  Yet ...

This year I've tried to worship alone and find meaning alone.  The solitary approach has its advantages -- I like trying to figure it out myself.  I like reading the holy words unfiltered by layers of interpretation. But going it alone also has limits, and big ones.  I miss out on the feeling of belonging, which is a key part of religion. I experienced this most keenly once before, during the biblical holidays of Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah back in October. I tried to do them alone. I fasted. I ate sweets. I sent portions to the poor. But I was doing it cluelessly and by myself, and it felt empty.  I couldn't even bring myself to write a chapter about the holidays, because I failed to wring anything approaching the proper level of meaning from them.  And many of my more profound experiences have come when I've joined a group, even momentarily....

Maybe I had to dial back my fetishizing of individualism. It'd be a good thing to do; the age of radical individualism is on the wane anyway. My guess is, the world is going the way of the Wikipedia. Everything will be collaborative.  My next book will have 258 coauthors.

(I love his sense of humor which is sprinkled - or poured - liberally throughout the book.)



What do you think of AJ's musings? Mine?  Do you think there is a time and place for individualism or does stressing it cause societal problems such as the breakdown of the family? Can doing things for the good of the community go too far? When is it important to stand against societal pressure - if ever?  Why is being community oriented better than being individualistic?  Or if you believe it's not, why?  Thoughts? Comments? Questions?


(quotes from pages 213-214)

"Life is a jigsaw puzzle"

Recently a friend of mine told me that her husband was reading The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs and suggested that I might like it as well. I looked it up, found it at my local library and put it on my list of books to check out which I did Thursday night soon after I published my last post.  I thought it would be something quite different than it's turned out to be so far. I was expecting a much more serious book filled with -- what? Um, something different than this. But, hey, I like it very much actually!

Growing a beard was part of AJ's living the Bible project.

So AJ decides to live the Bible as literally as possible.  The book is quite funny in many parts, but also it's "serious" in that AJ, an agnostic who grew up in a secular Jewish family, comes to discover some appreciable aspects of living the Bible.  Frequently he gives a spiritual report and declares "I'm still agnostic but..." and will talk about how something - prayer or giving to charity or realizing discipline is important for his child - makes him feel better.

Anyway, I still have over half the book to read, but I thought I'd share one scenario.  On Day 80 AJ is at a family gathering. Most of the family is not religious, however, one aunt is an Orthodox Jew. Her name is Kate.  So AJ's grandfather asks about the strangest rule AJ has to follow. 

"I mentally scan my list of Five Most Perplexing Rules. I choose one at random.  'Probably the one about how if you're in a fistfight, and the wife of your opponent grabs your private parts, you must cut off her hand.'"


Kate hears this and her face falls.  Maybe she didn't realize her beloved Torah had such a strange command. But there it is in Deuteronomy 25:11-12.

¹¹ If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, ¹² you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.

The next day AJ gets a phone call from Kate. She'd talked to her rabbi who said, yes, it was in the Torah,

"But...it's supposed to represent something broader: Do not embarrass others.  The wife here is embarrassing her husband by assuming he needs help. And the wife is embarrassing the husband's opponent by, well, grabbing his privates.  Plus, adds Kate, you didn't actually chop off the wife's hand. That's metaphorical. The woman was required only to pay a fine."

AJ admits this sounds more rational interpreted this way, but questions why didn't the Bible just come out and say not to embarrass others? "Why the mysterious code?"

He asked his Jewish advisers and the best answer he received was from Rabbi Noah Weinberg:  "Life is a jigsaw puzzle, he told me. The joy and challenge of life -- and the Bible -- is figuring things out.  'If a jigsaw puzzle came numbered, you'd return it to the store.' Same with life." 



I've heard people say before that part of the joy of life and the goodness of God is that He left things for us to discover.  Wouldn't life be different and less satisfying if everything were already figured out? If there were no mountains to climb on the hunt for that thrilling view from the top, no waterfalls to discover hidden on a trail, no medicinal or scientific or oceanic discoveries to make? No gems to dig for, no birds to watch and learn their habits - how that mothering instinct is present. Isn't it fun to watch young children discover their toes or noses or ears?  Isn't it exciting to go to the zoo or circus or even Walmart and see a little one's face light up as he discovers new things?  On a related note, I've heard people say heaven will still be full of discoveries.  Not sure how they deduced that, but it makes sense to me that God would want to see the pleasure on our faces when we discover wondrous things He has created.  Maybe He has new things for us to discover throughout eternity.  Who knows?

By the way AJ said this explanation wasn't totally satisfying, but did somewhat and vowed to keep on learning.


What do you think of the rabbi's explanation about God not spelling out the rules and the whole jigsaw puzzle bit?  Do you think it's gift from God that we are able to discover or do you wish things were discovered already as they could be beneficial to humanity?  How would you interpret the Deuteronomy passage above?  Thoughts or questions?

quotes from pg. 111-112

Hey, what's up?

Wow, I can hardly believe how not chatty I've been here lately. I guess nothing has really stood out to me to share although I have read some interesting things.  Just today I finished I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity by Izzeldin Abuelaish.    A Facebook friend recommended it a few weeks back after her family had the opportunity to hear Dr. Abuelaish speak somewhere near their home,I guess.  Anyway, I put it on my Amazon wishlist and it was one of the two books I received for Valentine's Day.  I cried during parts of it, but was encouraged by his attitude. I really admire this guy!

Yesterday we went to the Natural Science Museum in a neighboring city.  My brother, sister, nephew, dad and I went so it was quite a fun "field trip."  It's not so often that this particular crew gets to go out together for a day.  You can see a few pictures here if you'd like.  There is a llama with some crazy hair!  And also a couple of snakes that I touched though that was not photographed since I was holding the camera. Instead you can see Michael touching the snakes!  I also made friends with a cockatoo.

Here is a video about Freedom's Call in Syria. It's about dissidents working in that country and the struggle they face in this oppressive regime.

Here is a short video of the most typical face on the planet.  It also has some interesting facts of what is typical in various parts of the world. Like in some countries residents spend eight hours a day collecting water!  Can you imagine?! Wow!

I am heading out now. Going to meet some high school friends in a couple of hours, but I wanted to run an errand or two first.  The library is calling my name!  Anyone want to guess how many books jump into my arms and what topics they are about?

My "Enlightened Viewpoint" re: Israel

So here is another in my "stepping out of my box and changing my mind" series that I first discussed here.

Last month E and I were still talking on that same thread where he asked me about my views on Islamic jihad and sharia, (I shared my views on that here) and he could tell I wasn't fawning over Israel as much as I should have been.  I mean we grew up in churches and households that strongly supported God's Chosen People. And even if we didn't support them on religious grounds, how about the fact that they are our strongest ally and "the only democracy in the Middle East" surrounded by those angry Arabs and Persians who hate them so much they want to wipe them off the map?  For all its superpower status which puts us in some ways at the top of the heap, Americans tend to love a worthy underdog. And poor little Israel with its persecuted Jews fit the bill in a region of the world full of strife and multitudes of non-Jews who hated these people for daring to reclaim their ancestral lands.

OK, let's leave the land stuff alone and even who has rightful dibs on it.  I say the land belongs to God and I am extremely sorry to see what people do to each other for the sake of land.

Anyway, E noticed my replies weren't adding up to what should be 'normal' for me.  I think I had mentioned how awful life was for the Palestinians which prompted this:

Susanne, that's just not true. UN reports say that food, medicine, and humanitarian supplies are uninterrupted. Weapons, on the other hand are being stopped.

I can understand why they do what they do. The god of this world has blinded their eyes. The hatred of the Jewish people began where you say it did. From that time, they have been suffering persecution. Slavery in Egypt, Herod, attacks from all sides, Hitler, more attacks from all sides.

I believe that the persecution will never end until God puts an end to it; and despite what Daniel says, I know you know what the Bible says about that.

Forget what others believe, what do you believe? Do you believe the Bible account of the end days? I do, or do you have a more "enlightened viewpoint"?

So I decided to share

My "enlightened" view just for E: :-)

E, I'm not denying there has been hatred of the Jews since ancient times. I believe Satan would like for this ethnic group to have been destroyed in order for the Messiah (whom I consider the Savior of the world) to never come. Of course he failed. God always preserved a remnant and even when Israel went "whoring after other gods", He was always faithful to His promise to Abraham. Not because of the Jews' innate goodness, but because of God's.

I think many American Christians have taken Genesis 12:3 as their way for dealing with the current Israel which was established by mostly secular Zionists such as Hertzl who mocked the OT as a book of fables. He used it to his advantage, however, and knew when to use it as "Thus saith the Lord" when appealing to religious folks.

Genesis 12 talks about God blessing those who bless Abraham's descendants and cursing those who curse them, correct? I am fine with that. I believe the Bible. But I ask now what does blessing someone mean? Does it mean being OK with them mistreating others or does it mean encouraging them to do right in God's sight? God dispersed the Jews into other nations because of their unfaithfulness to Him. The OT Prophets often scolded Israel for injustice, lack of mercy and their arrogance. How is this different from today? Do we suddenly wink at their sins because we want to "bless them" (which being interpreted is: do whatever evil, sinful thing you want and we will pat you on the back and give you more money because WE ARE STANDING WITH YOU, O ISRAEL!)? You don't bless a drug addicted child by giving him drug money and okaying his lifestyle. You get him help. You show him the forgiveness and life changing power of God.

I'm not arguing about End Times happenings. I'm talking about the here and now and treating people as God wanted the Israelites of old to treat those living with them.

"The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." (Lev. 19:34)

I have Christian missionary friends living in the West Bank and they have seen the situation first hand unlike most of us. I'm not saying everything is Israel's fault, but neither do I give them a blanket endorsement. Many of their policies perpetuate the cycle of hatred. This is what I want us to understand better. I'm not debating or trying to change minds on your interpretation of the end times. I'm simply saying we need to remember Jesus' words about loving our enemies and the reminders in Scripture.

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink."

We can't expect Jews to follow Jesus' commands, but I surely can expect my fellow Christians to obey their Lord if they truly claim to follow Him. Why do we not take Jesus seriously?

We can leave all the end time stuff to God. We can't bring it to pass any earlier or later by trying to finagle things in the region so everything is right for Jesus to return. But we can take Jesus seriously and love all people -- even our enemies. Leave the vengeance stuff to God. Let's be faithful in sharing -and living- the good news of Jesus with a world that needs Him. That is what will change things in the region.

I hope that helps explain where I am coming from. Thanks for your questions. I'm glad I had a chance to share my thoughts on this topic.

Any thoughts, corrections,questions or details to add?  Do you think I'm silly for expecting followers of Jesus to see Palestinians with love and compassion instead of solely as enemies because they hate Israel?  What do you think?