{"id":70094,"date":"2020-02-12T11:53:28","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T09:53:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=70094"},"modified":"2023-09-07T16:52:47","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T13:52:47","slug":"who-shall-live-and-who-shall-die","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/who-shall-live-and-who-shall-die\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Shall Live And Who Shall Die?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[437,390,571,802],"acf":{"old_id":"70094","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":62571,"related_cahpter":"415","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Repentance, prayer and righteousness avert the evil decree\r\n\r\n","content":"

Two themes comprise this chapter of the prophetic book: <\/span>
\n<\/span>1) (v. 1-9) The dire fates that await the Jewish people for not repenting, notwithstanding their having received repeated warnings to do so. <\/span>
\n<\/span>2) (v. 10-21) God\u2019s promise to protect His prophets, despite their deeply unpopular predictions and adjurations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Verse 2 is reminiscent of a passage in the liturgy of the Days of Awe that is intended to give one pause every time we encounter it: \u201cAnd if they ask you, \u2018To what shall we go forth?\u2019 answer them, \u2018Thus said the LORD: Those destined for the plague, to the plague; Those destined for the sword, to the sword; Those destined for <\/span>famine<\/span>, to famine; Those destined for captivity, to captivity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The prayer that parallels Jeremiah\u2019s pronouncement, is known by its opening words: \u201cU\u2019Netanah Tokef<\/em>\u201d (\u201cWe shall ascribe holiness [<\/span>to this day<\/span><\/i>]\u201d). The section of this particular liturgical poem that invariably strikes fear in the hearts of the congregation reciting it, describes what might occur to relatives, friends, even oneself, during the upcoming year:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026 Who shall perish by water and who by fire,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Who by sword and who by wild beast,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Who by famine and who by thirst,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Who by earthquake and who by plague,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Who by strangulation and who by stoning \u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(<\/span>See <\/span><\/i>Leonard Cohen\u2019s \u201cWho By Fire?<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u201d for a contemporary rendition of \u201cU\u2019Netanah Tokef\u201d<\/span><\/i>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But two aspects of \u201cU\u2019Netahah Tokef\u201d distinguish it from Jeremiah 15:2. Firstly, whereas the prophet appears to assume that the society\u2019s continuing to transgress is a \u201cgiven\u201d and the fates of the sinners are effectively sealed, the prayer optimistically offers methodologies, based upon Genesis Rabbah 44:12, that suggest that it is never too late to avert such terrifying consequences: \u201cBut repentance, prayer and righteousness avert the evil decree\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And secondly, while the mortality of the human condition makes us all susceptible to the vagaries of life that include hardship and even violent death, the liturgist maintains that such experiences are not unavoidable, contrary to Jeremiah:<\/span><\/p>\n

How many shall pass away and how many shall be born,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Who shall live and who shall die,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Who shall reach the end of his days and who shall not \u2026 <\/span>
\n<\/span>\u2026 Who shall have rest and who shall wander,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Who shall be at peace and who shall be pursued,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Who shall be at rest and who shall be tormented,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Who shall be exalted and who shall be brought low,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Who shall become rich and who shall be impoverished …\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In light of the ultimate destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish people\u2019s being exiled from their land, Jeremiah\u2019s prophecies regrettably came to fruition, and they even appear fatalistic in their inevitability. Yet, in light of \u201cU\u2019Netanah Tokef,\u201d we can view these prophecies as cautionary tales that we can choose to obviate, if only we have the resolve to do so.<\/span><\/p>\n

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