Leon's Jerusalem No News Bulletin.(12)

Wed 15th Mar 06

 

Dear friends and family,

 

Yesterday Jews throughout the world celebrated Purim. Jerusalem and other walled in cities, resemble the Persian city of  Shushan, where the actual event occurred more than 2500 years ago, and so celebrate the festival on the exact day when those who wanted to annihilate the Jewish people were punished.

 

Since the beginning of creation man has been divided into nomadic, desert people, on the one hand and sedentary city dwellers on the other.

 

The Jewish people exemplifies the sedentary city dweller, Haman, the savage, desert people, who are trying to destroy them.

 

Purim is the celebration of the victory of the city over the desert, which is trying to destroy it. Walls define a city very clearly as a city. This is why walled in cities have a special celebration of their own.

 

Making distinctions is very characteristic of Judaism; kosher - unkosher, holy - profane, city - desert, sage - savage etc.

 

Purim breaks down these distinctions; sages dress up like savages, savages dress up like sages, city dwellers dress up like shepherds, even men dress up like women and vice versa.

 

Walking down the main street of Jerusalem's religious neighborhood, Geula, today, it was impossible to know whether the drunken man with the red nose was a pious rabbi or whether the scholarly looking sage was really a clown.

 

With all the barriers broken down I realized, once again, how much outward appearances stimulate our reactions to people.

 

The real character of people, not outward appearances should stimulate our reactions. Outward appearances block the real character.

 

Outward appearances are like barriers by which we cage ourselves in. The more elaborate the barriers the more we are caged in until we are like canaries in golden cages that don't sing.

This was a favorite saying of my late teacher, Prof. Leo Motzkin.

 

We work hard to accumulate outward trappings, like wealth and power because we think they bring happiness. Yet no matter how hard we work to attain them, happiness eludes us. This is because all the things we think bring us happiness are actually obstacles to happiness.

 

Unhampered by these barriers our true characters are revealed in behaviour that not only stimulates others but also absorbs stimuli from others.

 

This way we open ourselves to give happiness to others and to receive it from them. This is why true happiness can only be achieved by breaking down barriers that block out our true nature, not by building them up.

 

One way to achieve this is by adopting a belief, propagated by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, that all humans are precious because they are the best means of attaining our highest goals.

 

People stimulate my feelings by their smiles, their complements, their enthusiasm and even through their criticism.

 

I owe it to myself to keep myself open to receiving stimuli from these wonderful creatures called people and in turn to stimulate them. I can only do this by not making every day Purim and not putting a mask on my character or a barrier to my feelings.

 

Have a great no news day. Leon.

Reply to: legork@netvision.net.il

Leon Gork. Israeli Tour Guide.

PO BOX 49091

Jerusalem 91491

Israel.

Tel/fax 02 5810732

Mobile phone 052 3801867

http://www.geocities.com/leongork

http://jerusalemwalks.tripod.com