Monday, October 20, 2014

Purple Shabbat: What Makes us Human, Delivered Shabbat Bereshit, 10/18/14

            Central to the biblical creation story, or at least one of the stories preserved in Bereshit, is the Tree of Knowledge.  Smack dab in the middle of the garden grew both the Tree of Life and its companion, the Tree of Knowledge.  It is the latter that comes to define the human condition.   A contraction in the tale stands out and can serve to inform us:  At the start, God makes it clear in his warning to Adam, “you can eat from any tree except this one.  You eat from the Tree of Knowledge, and you die.”
            But, that isn’t what happens is it?  Here the serpent does know better.  Neither Adam nor Eve meet their end from touching or eating this tree’s fruit (at least not immediately or any time soon).   The consequences were, perhaps, far more complicated: their eyes were opened to a reality far beyond the idyllic delights of Eden.  It’s as if a switch clicked on in their brains that made them suddenly aware, suddenly capable of complex thinking and understanding.  The consequences of this awareness brings with it challenge and arguably responsibility (it is knowledge of good and evil), but the very fact that the story was written and preserved in the manner in which it was, included in the Torah, no less, highlights how much we value this awareness, how much we value the ability to comprehend and evaluate, to distinguish between right and wrong.   There is a clear assumption to this story: we wouldn’t give up the so-called “curses” delivered, such as the need to toil and labor throughout our days on earth, if it meant giving up the companion gifts received from the ability to think and evaluate coherently. 
            We value our brains and its functions.   As liturgist Eugene Kohn expressed so well in a poetic work included in the 1948 Liberal British mahzor, Petach Teshuva, and then adapted later by Chaim Stern for our American mahzor, our mind and the way it functions is what distinguishes us from the rest of God’s creations.   After outlining the gifts bestowed on the animal world, Kohn continues:
But upon one species, more than upon the others,
Thou hast lavish Thy gifts;
Upon one species whom Thy creative word called into being
            Among the last
Of species still extant –
The species, [humankind].
Thou gavest him not the fangs and claws of the lion and tiger;
            Thou gavest him not the thick hide of the elephant;
            Or the scaly armor of the alligator;
            To the gazelle, we were slow of foot,
            To the lioness, a weakling,
            And the eagle thought us bound to earth.
            But, Thou gavest us powers greater than all these,
            A skillful hand,
            A probing mind,
            A loving heart,
            A soul aspiring to know and to fulfill its destiny
as governed by [Divine] wisdom.  (p. 368, Petach Teshuva, adapted)

            Whether we are better or not than the rest of the animal kingdom for it, we do value our brain function.  We even have an entire academic discipline, the humanities, that concerns itself with human thought and culture and does so with the analytical and critical processes central to our brains and our human condition.
            Imagine if those processes slowly disappeared: the ability to remember even simple details, the ability to reason through a problem or dilemma, the ability to navigate in familiar surroundings – even in one’s own home, the ability to remember the histories of beloved family and friends, the ability to take care of basic personal needs.   Having tasted knowledge, I can assure you, it wouldn’t be a return to Eden.  And, it isn’t for those suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia.
            This Shabbat, in our Baltimore community, is Purple Shabbat.  Nothing to do with the Ravens - really, Purple Shabbat marks the Jewish Community’s joining with other faith communities who will mark Purple Sunday tomorrow, in an effort to raise awareness of the work of the Alzheimer’s Association and to provide access to materials and resources for those who are dealing with this disease. 
            The facts are stark.  Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive – currently uncurable -brain disease that, according to the NIH, is the most common cause of dementia in older adults.  It not only impacts the individual suffering from the disease, but it brings with it extraordinary consequences and conditions for caregivers who most often are also immediate family members who are simultaneously dealing with the slow and progressive loss of their loved one.  

            At the same time, there is support and there are resources to help.  One of the primary goals of the Alzheimer’s Association beyond research is to provide support to individuals and families.  Information is available on their website.  Information is also immediately available in our lobby. Take advantage of it.  Share it.   


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