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
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 It is revered not merely as a religious or historical document, but as a complex amalgamation that serves various purposes in Jewish education and spirituality, reflecting the deep connection of the Jewish people to books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.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of cultural heritage, I could cite Foer's insights on the Haggadah.
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.
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.
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
What do babies dream of? She must be dreaming of the before-life, just as I dream of the afterlife.
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.
What is being awake if not interpreting our dreams, or dreaming if not interpreting our wake?
We must make up our minds to be ignorant of much, if we would know anything.
A writer should get as much education as possible, but just going to school is not enough; if it were, all owners of doctorates would be inspired writers.
As citizens, I'm asking you not to leave any child behind. I'm asking you not to be color blind, but to be color brave, so that every child knows that their future matters and their dreams are possible.
Do not be afraid to ask for help. Nobody gets through college on their own.
Great books are the ones that are urgent, life-changing, the ones that crack open the reader’s skull and heart.
I work on the assumption, or let it be the fear, that the reader will stop reading if I stop being interesting.
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