{"id":66228,"date":"2019-11-26T13:46:33","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T11:46:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=66228"},"modified":"2023-06-19T16:56:52","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T13:56:52","slug":"was-isaiah-a-death-eater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/was-isaiah-a-death-eater\/","title":{"rendered":"Was Isaiah A Death-Eater?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For fans of the Harry Potter series, verse 8 might remind us of a scene in Deathly Hallows, when Harry and Hermione find the grave of Harry\u2019s parents. The quote on their grave, taken from the book of Corinthians, echoes the message in this verse: \u201cDeath will be destroyed forever\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

JK Rowling writes:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHarry read the words slowly…\u2018The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death\u2019\u2026\u201d A horrible thought came to him… \u201cIsn\u2019t that a Death Eater idea? Why is that there?\u2019<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u2018It doesn\u2019t mean defeating death in the way the Death Eaters mean it, Harry,\u2019 said Hermione, her voice gentle. \u201cIt means\u2026you know\u2026living beyond death. Living after death.\u2019<\/span>
\n<\/span>But they were not living, thought Harry: They were gone… tears came before he could stop them…He let them fall, his lips pressed hard together, looking down at the thick snow hiding from his eyes the place where the last of Lily and James lay, bones now, surely, or dust, not knowing or caring that their living son stood so near….\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The idea, and Harry\u2019s reaction to it, raises an important question: Do we attempt to outsmart our fear of death? Or do we \u201cbeat\u201d death by accepting that we will die, and ensuring that we leave behind a strong legacy?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though the books present the first option as evil- the Death Eater way- it is perfectly understandable. When faced with imminent death, many of us are tempted by one more treatment, surgery, or clinical trial. It is our obligation as Jews to pursue life. God says so explicitly: \u201cI have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life\u2014if you and your offspring would live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So we pursue health and life, for ourselves and others. But we should not feel defeated when we cannot prolong the function of our own bodies or others\u2019. The verse states that we are to choose life so that we <\/span>and our offspring<\/span><\/em> may live. This, Rashi suggests, is the true meaning of life and death. Commenting on the description of Noah in the book of Genesis, Rashi explains that \u201cNoah\u2019s generations\u201d were the legacy of his actions and his good character. Mentioning Noah\u2019s positive character, Rashi says, brings a blessing to us, the living.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This recalls the blessing Jews say after mentioning someone who has passed: may their memory be a blessing. Though Harry felt grief at the loss of his parents, he in fact allowed them to defy death in both his physical existence and by remembering them. Harry\u2019s parents live on in his body, through his eyes that are just like his mother\u2019s, and his hair just like his father\u2019s. But Lily and James also live on and with Harry because their friends kept memories of them alive, and pass those along to Harry.<\/span><\/p>\n

We, too, can vanquish death by keeping alive the memories of those we love. In doing so, we partner with God in the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, that God will defeat death.<\/span><\/p>\n

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