We burned with love for ourselves, all of us, starters of the fire we suffered- our love was the affliction for which only our love was the cure.
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
Jews have a special relationship to books, and the Haggadah has been translated more widely, and reprinted more often, than any other Jewish book. It is not a work of history or philosophy, not a prayer book, user’s manual, timeline, poem or palimpsest - and yet it is all these things.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Haggadah is a unique text that encompasses multiple genres and serves a special role in Jewish culture.
In this quote, Jonathan Safran Foer highlights the multifaceted nature of the Haggadah, a central text in Jewish tradition, which transcends typical classifications of literature. It is revered not merely as a religious or historical document, but as a complex amalgamation that serves various purposes in Jewish education and spirituality, reflecting the deep connection of the Jewish people to books and texts.
Themes
HaggadahJewishBooksTraditionCulture
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of cultural heritage, I could cite Foer's insights on the Haggadah.
More from Jonathan Safran Foer
All quotes →Memory was supposed to fill the time, but it made time a hole to be filled. Each second was two hundred yards, to be walked, crawled. You couldn't see the next hour, it was so far in the distance. Tomorrow was over the horizon, and would take an entire day to reach.
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
She was not crying Which surprised me very much But I understand now That she had found places For her melancholy That were behind more masks Than only her eyes
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
What do babies dream of? She must be dreaming of the before-life, just as I dream of the afterlife.
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
A few weeks after the worst day, I started writing lots of letters. I don't know why, but it was one of the only things that made my boots lighter.
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
What is being awake if not interpreting our dreams, or dreaming if not interpreting our wake?
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
Similar quotes
Our task - and the task of all education - is to understand the present world, the world in which we live and make our choices.
E. F. SchumacherRead
An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
Benjamin FranklinRead
When I was growing up, I knew I wanted to be a mathematician, but I had no idea what that entailed.
Terence TaoRead
The capital-T Truth is about life BEFORE death. It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness; awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, all the time, that we have to keep reminding ourselves over and over: "This is water." "This is water." It is unimaginably hard to do this, to stay conscious and alive in the adult world day in and day out.
David Foster WallaceRead
Avoid demonizing television, computer games, and new technologies. Electronic media may compete for kids' attention, but we're not going to get kids reading by badmouthing other entertainment. Admit that TV and games can do things books can't.
Jon ScieszkaRead
There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education.
Will RogersRead