Dear Friend, the Thing Is Like This . . .
Posted: Wednesday, October 14, 2009
by Mayan Viljoen
http://www.mayansarticles.yolasite.com
Note: This is not a review of the website . . . www.chabad.org, per se, but rather of the type of reading matter you will find within the pages of this site. I trust that, as you read this delightful little story, that you will, indeed, get, a better than average, idea of what chabad.org is all about. Enjoy!
Mayan.
--- Introduction ---
Hi there. For those of you who have not yet read any of my reviews, it might be worth your while to first have a glance at the disclaimer I have written, especially, for reviews of this nature (it can be found in the first two paragraphs of my review, titled . . . "On the road from Nightmare to Blessing"), before continuing to read this review, further.
Today I would like to re-tell you precious people a quite ancient, memorable, little Jewish story, that has been in my mind ever since the day I first heard it. I will attempt to re-tell it entirely from memory. It is powerful, and its message is really applicable to every generation, so listen carefully. Come, come with me on this quite unique journey into the mind of the ancient and righteous Jewish sage . . .
--- The story of the fox and the fish . . . retold by me ---
In the days when the ancient leg of the Roman Empire ruled the entire known world, there lived in the land of Israel (an area where there was no shortage of the, once, mighty Roman legions), a Rav (Rabbi) by the name of Aqiva ben Yosef (Aqiva, son of Joseph). In Jewish literature he is known as "Rosh la-chachamim"/Head of all the sages.
The Roman leadership quickly learned that they had a much more controlled, if you like, strangle hold on the Hebrew population, as a whole, if they completely outlawed any/all activities which had anything to do with the former's Elohim (G-d). One day and acquaintance of Rav Aqiva, by the name of Pappus ben Y'hudah, saw the former openly studying Torah (Torah - lit. teaching or instruction; it is also a collective name for the first five books in The Scriptures) with his disciples in one of the public squares in the little town where they all lived.
"Aqiva", said Pappus, "Have you completely lost your mind, studying Torah here, in broad daylight? Don't you realize that the penalty for doing this will be immediate execution, without any possibility of a trial, for you and all your disciples, if you are discovered by a Roman soldier, which, can literally happen at any moment?" Rav Aqiva very calmly looked up at his friend and said . . . "Pappus ben Y'hudah, the thing is like this . . .
A fox was walking on the bank of a river. He was hungry, so he was looking for something to eat. In the water he saw some fish, which was frantically swimming here and there, to and fro, so he asked them . . . Tell me, please . . . Why do you swim around so frantically? The fish answered him thus . . . Because we are afraid of the fisherman, that they will catch us. The fox then said to the fish . . . Why don't you come up, out of the water, onto dry land, onto the river bank, with me, and then we shall live in harmony, you and I, just like our forefathers did, once upon a time?
The fish laughed at the fox and said . . . Everyone say that you are so clever, but the truth is, rather, that you are a fool, for if we are already afraid when we are in our natural element (i.e. the water), how much more afraid will we be when we are outside the water, on dry land!" Rav Aqiva looked Pappus straight in the face and said . . . "So, exactly, is it with us, dear friend. "If we are already afraid of what the Romans can do to us at the time we do study Torah (Expl. note - Torah . . . which is, for us, nil else than our very life and the length of our days, i.e. our natural element, in which alone we truly live), how much more afraid should we be when we neglect to study His Torah/Word (Expl. note - . . . a state in which we shall certainly perish), at a time like this?", and with these words he (Rav Aqiva), once again, calmly returned to his studies.
--- Conclusion ---
I believe that Rav Aqivah is truly the author of this short, but very powerful, story. This is the way the Jewish sages of old taught their "talmidim"/students or followers, i.e. by means of short stories, exactly like this one, which, mainly, contained one central, crucial message, otherwise known as parables. The latter is also the way . . . "One, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times" [Michah 5:2(b) refer], even the Messiah Yahushua/Jesus Himself, taught (Mark 4:34 refer) when He, in bodily form dwelt among men, for a little while.
Teachers like Rav Aqivah, and the Messiah, of course, knew nothing about teaching anything to their followers, which they, themselves, did not live out, to the full, in their every day life. Would'nt it be a turn up for the books, if all of us could be more like this? Imagine in what a wonderful world we would live, if our leaders, today, lived like this? Because of Rav Aqiva's absolute determination to continue to study and teach Torah, even on the pain of death, it was only a matter of, a short, time before he was caught by the Romans, doing exactly that. He was immediately declared a criminal by the latter, who, literally, tortured him to death. Just before he died, he apparently, called out, joyfully . . .
''All my life I've been waiting to fulfil the concept . . . 'You shall love Hashem (meaning . . . The Name . . . in Hebrew, a Jewish circumlocution for the Almighty One's Ineffable Name, to this day), your Elohim, with all your heart (our cognitive, rational functions), with all your being/soul (our feelings or emotions) and with all your resources . . .' (D'varim/ Deuteronomy 6: 5, a section of the passage known in Hebrew as the . . . Sh'ma), and now I finally have the chance."
Thank you so much for reading this review through. I hope that it was meaningful to you.
Mayan Viljoen.
Philippians 2:8
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