Morning celebrations

Kleaster sound 14, 2021

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Wednesday morning, May 5, 2021

In the Bible, remembrance is important. In fact, it is at the root of Jewish thought. It is important to remember that we were once slaves. That freedom cannot be taken for granted. That it should never happen again, especially by our own hand.

Forgetting is exile
Remembering is redemption

Arnon Grunberg's lecture raises the question of how remembrance relates to our mental health. If the horrors of the twentieth century don't make us sick, then we haven't understood a thing. But at the same time, another voice reminds us that we must keep the past at bay if we are not to succumb to it. We must not get sick of remembering.

It strikes me that the Hebrew Bible does not so much commemorate oppressive slavery as it does liberation from slave land. To avoid succumbing to it, it is not just about remembering the past but the exodus, the process of change. A relationship to the present and the future is important to remain "healthy. Commemoration is therefore an active way of standing in history, making the past fruitful for the present and the future. To put it succinctly, "Remember the past. Live the present. Trust the future.'

As a question for reflection. Which day is most important to you? May 4 or May 5. Or both equally? And what exactly do you commemorate on May 4. And what do you celebrate on May 5?

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