{"id":80374,"date":"2020-09-24T12:46:11","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T09:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=80374"},"modified":"2020-09-29T13:12:02","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T10:12:02","slug":"picassos-bull-as-a-template-for-teshuvah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/picassos-bull-as-a-template-for-teshuvah\/","title":{"rendered":"Picasso\u2019s Bull as a Template for Teshuvah\u00a0"},"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":"80374","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34255,"related_cahpter":"576","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Part 1: An eye-opening opportunity to confront teshuvah afresh\r\n\r\n","content":"

A series of eleven lithographs by Picasso might not seem the most likely of \u201ctexts\u201d upon which to meditate in the weeks and days leading up to Yom Kippur. And yet, Picasso\u2019s <\/span>Bull Series<\/span><\/em>, seen hanging on a wall in a tightly packed gallery in the <\/span>Museu Picasso<\/em> <\/span>in Barcelona, provided me with an opportunity to see the process of <\/span>teshuvah<\/em> <\/span>with fresh eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was on a trip with my two older children in the hectic weeks between camp and school, and as a parent traveling solo, I was forced to reflect on questions of identity and transformation in a uniquely personal way. Here I was, a woman, a mother, a professional, a partner, an educator, a learner, an explorer, approaching middle age, cloaked in layers of experiences, held in close relationships, equipped with knowledge \u2014 inborn and acquired \u2014 and influenced by varied external stimuli, determined to retain her self, a continuously evolving self, amidst the powerful forces acting upon her. This was my context when I met Picasso on his home turf, in Spain. This encounter prompted me to think about the process we are meant to undergo in the weeks before Yom Kippur.<\/span><\/p>\n

The classic way of viewing the <\/span>teshuvah<\/em> <\/span>process is as a linear one. The path of transformation, as outlined by the Rambam, follows a clear trajectory of progression. The steps, presented in <\/span>Hilkhot Teshuvah<\/span><\/em>, Chapter 2:1-5, may not be easy to take, but the process is clear. It involves confronting the same situation and abstaining, verbally confessing, abandoning sins, removing them from one\u2019s thoughts, resolving never to commit them again, and regretting the past. According to the Rambam, if one follows the guidelines outlined in these laws (2:1-3) she or he will emerge as a new person (2:4), identity changed, spirit humbled. It is a formula meant to achieve lasting change in human behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n

In contrast, in the thought of Rabbi Soloveitchik, the process of repentance that emerges is more abstract, and existential. It involves a transformation of identity and a curated creation of the self; a \u201csevering of one\u2019s psychic identity with one\u2019s previous \u201cI,\u201d and the creation of a new \u201cI,\u201d possessor of a new consciousness, a new heart and spirit, different desires, longings, goals\u201d (<\/span>Halakhic Man<\/span><\/em>, 110). For Rabbi Soloveitchik, \u201cthe first principle of repentance is that the sinner be divested of his status as a <\/span>rasha<\/span><\/em>, an evil person. This can only be attained if the sinner terminates his past identity and assumes a new identity for the future. It is a creative gesture which is responsible for the emergence of a new personality, a new self.\u201d The Rav further states that when an individual \u201cfinds himself in a situation of sin, he takes advantage of his creative capacity, returns to God, and becomes a creator and self-fashioner. Man, through repentance, creates himself, his own \u201cI\u2019\u201d(<\/span>Halakhic Man<\/span><\/em>, 113). <\/span><\/p>\n

If the Rambam is a reformer, the Rav is a radical calling for a reinvention of personhood.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where does Picasso come in? Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow\u2026.<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

Image: Picasso’s The Bull (lithograph series, 1945) photo courtesy of the author.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":80375,"id":80375,"title":"yk-shira picasson","filename":"yk-shira-picasson.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/yk-shira-picasson.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/picassos-bull-as-a-template-for-teshuvah\/yk-shira-picasson\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"yk-shira-picasson","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":80374,"date":"2020-09-24 09:44:35","modified":"2020-09-24 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