Three rabbis discoursed

[PrinceMyshkin]

Three Rabbis discoursed
on the name of G-d:
“Why should His name,
blessed is He, be forbidden to us?”
asked the first.

“But what need do we have
of his name,” said the second,
pointing at the flowers, the mountains,
the stars.

The third wept inconsolably.

[motherhubbard]

Poignant, touching, lovely

I’ve missed reading your poetry. I’ll have to do a search and catch up.

[Pendragon]

Nice one, Jerry! A little further thought...




"Console yourself!" the first Rabbi said.
"Having no name doesn't make Him
any less God, you know!"

"Consider the work of His hands,"
The second Rabbi gushed.
"Does not even nature proclaim praise!"

But the third still wept, not consoled...

[PrinceMyshkin]

Nice one, Jerry! A little further thought...




"Console yourself!" the first Rabbi said.
"Having no name doesn't make Him
any less God, you know!"

"Consider the work of His hands,"
The second Rabbi gushed.
"Does not even nature proclaim praise!"

But the third still wept, not consoled...




Thanks, Pen. I wonder if you have any intuition why the third Rabbi wept? I knew it had be so, in my own version, but wasn't sure why.

[Sweets America]

Poignant, as Tonya said, is the right word, especially concerning this thrid rabbi. I don't know why he cries either but I understand that he does, in a way.

[ampoule]

I love to read stories of rabbis, monks, priests and nuns and their devotion and devotionals to God. The reason I didn't include ministers/pastors is so often they are portrayed as wild-eyed raging lunatic holy rollers. I am a protestant and I have never had a pastor who was like that. Anyway, through this site, I am coming to enjoy the stories of the Muslim faith also. Several years ago I took a course called "Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby. I believe it was in the back of the workbook, there was a list of the names of God which reminded me of the 99 Beautiful Names of Allah.

But your poem, Prince. I love it, but of course I want to know why YOU think the third rabbi wept inconsolably. And though I would like it spelled out for me, I like the way your poem leaves me to ponder, like when someone says to a child, 'perhaps you better go think about it'. I wonder if everyone agonizes over the birth of any little enlightenment as I do.

[Umbilical]

His weeping had NOTHING to do with anything that you wrote about (but you wrote about it anyway).
It's inclusive because you've brought the latent sexuality of what god COULD be
into the equation,
because the 3rd wept from loneliness because he SO DESIRED to be touched
(literally, metaphorically... through displacement, another hand, whatever) by GOD.

So now god (NOT NAMED)
represents a desire (NOT MET)
for f.uck
which is not part of your lovely poem.

I'm sorry but it's true.

In all honesty,
Jodi

[PrinceMyshkin]

His weeping had NOTHING to do with anything that you wrote about (but you wrote about it anyway).
It's inclusive because you've brought the latent sexuality of what god COULD be
into the equation,
because the 3rd wept from loneliness because he SO DESIRED to be touched
(literally, metaphorically... through displacement, another hand, whatever) by GOD.

So now god (NOT NAMED)
represents a desire (NOT MET)
for f.uck
which is not part of your lovely poem.

I'm sorry but it's true.

In all honesty,
Jodi

This is far - VERY far - from unintelligent! And see my response to the last by Ampoule, below.

[Umbilical]

Which response?

And now we all wanna be god.

[PrinceMyshkin]

I love to read stories of rabbis, monks, priests and nuns and their devotion and devotionals to God. The reason I didn't include ministers/pastors is so often they are portrayed as wild-eyed raging lunatic holy rollers. I am a protestant and I have never had a pastor who was like that. Anyway, through this site, I am coming to enjoy the stories of the Muslim faith also. Several years ago I took a course called "Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby. I believe it was in the back of the workbook, there was a list of the names of God which reminded me of the 99 Beautiful Names of Allah.

But your poem, Prince. I love it, but of course I want to know why YOU think the third rabbi wept inconsolably. And though I would like it spelled out for me, I like the way your poem leaves me to ponder, like when someone says to a child, 'perhaps you better go think about it'. I wonder if everyone agonizes over the birth of any little enlightenment as I do.

First, see the response (#8) by Umbilical.

I too would like to know why the third rabbi wept inconsolably. I wrote that line intuitively, without consciously knowing or thinking about why he wept - but if asked I might have said that he himself did not know. My conjecture would be along these lines: He felt the discussion between the other two were indicative of how far we feel we are from God, with neither an address nor a name with which he could reach him. He felt, simultaneously, the very human desire to believe that 'God' exists and the innately human condition that we cannot ever know that with certainty. That the ground of so much of our beliefs is a very flimsy gauze and that by stepping too hard on it we would merely plunge through.

But since you like stories about priests & rabbis, etc. here are some of my favourites:

down on the lectern, then looked at the congregation, and sighed.

“I had a sermon prepared," he said. "But when I think of how I first came here, fresh from the seminary with such high hopes of making a difference in the world, and I look at what a state the world is in today, I feel like... like a nothing!"

The congregants hang their heads. After a moment the President of the synagogue comes forward, puts his arm around the rabbi, and says to the congregation:

“You all know that I've had some business success in this world, and received a number of honours. But when I heard our Rabbi - a man of such great spiritual worth - when I heard our Rabbi tell you he feels like a nothing, why it makes me feel like...like a nothing!" Again the congregation is quiet.

After several minutes a humble looking man gets up at the back of the synagogue. “I'm just an ordinary tailor," he says. "I came here from the old country with no money, no education, but thank God I've managed to make a living - enough to support my wife and children. I was always proud of that. But when I heard our Rabbi, and the President of our congregation tell you they feel like a nothing, why it makes me feel like... like a nothing!"

The President turns to the Rabbi, nods his head in the direction of the tailor, and says:

“Look who thinks he’s a nothing!"

*
It seems that these four rabbis were having a series of theological arguments, which were always resolved by a vote of three to one against the fourth. One day, the odd rabbi out, after he had lost once again, decided to appeal to a higher authority.

"Oh, God!" he cried. "I know in my heart that I’m right and they’re wrong! Please give me a sign to prove it to them!"

As soon as the rabbi finished his prayer, a storm cloud moved across the sky above the four. It rumbled once and dissolved.

"A sign from God!” he cried: “I'm right, I knew it!"

But the other three disagreed, pointing out that storm clouds often formed on hot days.

So the rabbi prayed again:

"Dear God, I need a bigger sign to show that I’m right and they’re wrong.”

This time four very dark storm clouds appeared and a bolt of lightning struck down a tree on a nearby hill.

"I told you I was right!" cried the rabbi, but his friends insisted that nothing had happened that could not be explained by natural causes.

The rabbi got ready to ask for a very big sign, but just as he said:"Oh God... ," the sky turned pitch black, the earth shook, and a deep, booming voice intoned,


"HE’S RIGHT!"

The rabbi put his hands on his hips, turned to the other three, and said:

"Well?"

"Alright," shrugged one of the other rabbis: "so now it's 3 to 2."

*
A priest, minister and rabbi go into a bar. The bartender looks over at them and says,

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“ What is this, a joke?"

[Pendragon]

I have the third Rabbi weep because trying to understand what God is is so far beyond human concept that it becomes a burden. You either accept that God is all powerful, all wise, all knowing and then it makes sense or you try to figure God out which may lead to you not believing in God at all. The third Rabbi knows this, therefore he weeps, thinking that the other two are spending too much time trying to figure God out. My two cents, anyway! ;) :)

Ever read "Carol: New Style" by Steven Vincent Bennet?

[PrinceMyshkin]

We will never resolve this, will we - we who are equally passionate on opposite sides of the fence!


I have the third Rabbi weep because trying to understand what God is is so far beyond human concept that it becomes a burden. You either accept that God is all powerful, all wise, all knowing and then it makes sense

WHAT makes sense? E.g., your own affilctions? The devastation in China and Myanmar? The paranoid, criminal behaviour of the rulers in Myanmar? The next child to be brutalized or sexually exploited?


or you try to figure God out which may lead to you not believing in God at all. The third Rabbi knows this, therefore he weeps, thinking that the other two are spending too much time trying to figure God out. My two cents, anyway! ;) :)

Ever read "Carol: New Style" by Steven Vincent Bennet?

No, I have not read it but will google it up. As for God & the scheme of things, there are more things, Horatio, under heaven and earth than were dreamed up by those who conceived of the divinity!

[kelby_lake]

Three Rabbis discoursed
on the name of G-d:
“Why should His name,
blessed is He, be forbidden to us?”
asked the first.

“But what need do we have
of his name,” said the second,
pointing at the flowers, the mountains,
the stars.

The third wept inconsolably.


i like it, although i read rabbis as rabbits

[PrinceMyshkin]

i like it, although i read rabbis as rabbits


revised in your honour




Three Rabbits discoursed
on the scarcity of carrots.
“Since they were here
in abundance yesterday,
what could have happened to them?"
asked the first.

“But what need do we have
of actual carrots,” said the second,
“when we have the memory
of carrots, and belief in them?"

The third turned its head aside
and munched inobtrusively.

[Pendragon]

WHAT makes sense? E.g., your own affilctions? The devastation in China and Myanmar? The paranoid, criminal behaviour of the rulers in Myanmar? The next child to be brutalized or sexually exploited?



No, these things do NOT make sense. However, blaming them on God and thinking God must not be loving and kind or this wouldn't happen won't stop them from happening.




The three Rabbis looked down upon
the devastion in China and Myanmar,
the thousands dead, dying, and homeless.

The first said this must have been God's judgement,
that the people must have committed
unpardonable iniquity...

The second said nay,
that God is just in all of His matters,
that Nature was to blame and Nature alone...

But the third Rabbi remembered humanity
and being moved in his spirit
just wept for the loss...

Which think you
went back to his house justified,
having loved his neighbors as himself?