{"id":79031,"date":"2020-08-19T16:09:49","date_gmt":"2020-08-19T13:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=79031"},"modified":"2020-08-19T16:09:49","modified_gmt":"2020-08-19T13:09:49","slug":"time-for-a-little-hope-and-goodness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/time-for-a-little-hope-and-goodness\/","title":{"rendered":"Time For A Little Hope And Goodness"},"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":[],"acf":{"old_id":"79031","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":73524,"related_cahpter":"550","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"For it\u2019s easier than ever to foster pessimism, negativity, and discontent among the masses\r\n\r\n","content":"

Chapter 1 saw Haggai revive the people’s flagging hopes and rededicate themselves to the building of the Second Temple. In Chapter 2, Haggai continues to encourage them \u2013 despite the humble and simple nature of the new building, the day will come when it will rival the first in its greatness and grandeur. The result, promises Haggai, will be cataclysmic, with empires falling and Israel in the center of the world again – not a dusty remote province of the Persian empire.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Yet in the center of the chapter, we find an interesting diversion \u2013 Haggai chooses to give the priests a pop quiz on the laws of purity and impurity:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018If a man is carrying sacrificial flesh in a fold of his garment, and with that fold touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, will the latter become holy?\u2019 In reply, the priests said, \u2018No.\u2019 Haggai went on, \u2018If someone defiled by a corpse touches any of these, will it be defiled?\u2019 And the priests responded, \u2018Yes.\u2019 Thereupon Haggai said: \u2018That is how this people and that is how this nation looks to Me\u2014declares the LORD\u2014and so, too, the work of their hands: Whatever they offer there is defiled.\u2019\u201d (2:12-14).<\/span><\/p>\n

Why now? Rabbinic thought (Pesachim 16-17), reflected in Rashi’s commentary, is that the religious leaders are halachically incompetent: their failures led to the mistakes of the people they led. And just as the people had to change their spiritual focus, so too the leadership needed to undergo a major upheaval.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet Ibn Ezra sees a different message. He rejects the interpretation that the priests offered the wrong answers, as there is no hint of that in Haggai. Instead, he suggests that instead of providing a halachic <\/span>shiur<\/span><\/em>, a lesson, Haggai has a larger spiritual purpose. The parable is in the laws of purity and impurity \u2013 impurity spreads quickly, through garments, while purity requires direct contact. <\/span><\/p>\n

So too, Haggai is demonstrating that while challenges and difficulties can appear quickly, creating goodness and positivity requires time and patience. This lesson also becomes a relevant lesson for educators, parents, and any people of influence. It is easy to foster pessimism, negativity, and discontent among masses of people. Now, in our very emotional, polarized, and politicized culture, and with the easy advent of social media, it is easier than ever. However, to educate for positivity and goodness is much more difficult, and it can’t be done remotely. It has to be done through constant and consistent investment in time and effort \u2013 and most importantly, in person.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":79032,"id":79032,"title":"hag2-hope","filename":"hag2-hope.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/hag2-hope.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/time-for-a-little-hope-and-goodness\/hag2-hope\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"hag2-hope","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":79031,"date":"2020-08-19 13:09:10","modified":"2020-10-20 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