A Bride for One Night: Talmud Tales

Their voices can still be heard in his ears, like the roar of a distant ocean inside a conch shell. His ears are no longer his; his eyes are no longer his; his sleep is no longer his. His whole body has become a sacred vessel.

A source on marriage, for instance, does not necessarily appear in the tractate that nominally treats that subject because life is a tapestry of interwoven strands, and ideas are not constrained by disciplinary boundaries.

The regular order of the universe is subverted when hand touches fin. Suddenly it happens: Kindness overspills the bounds of justice.

Suddenly he understands. Yishmael is showered in blessing, and he is ready to bestow blessing on others.

The divine persona is a composite of many familiar human attributes: goodness, gentleness, jealousy, power, glory, anger, frustration, grace, and humor. What sets God apart from human beings is that all these attributes manifest themselves simultaneously: God is at once a creator, a father, a judge, a warrior, a master, an avenger, a betrayer, and

Yishmael is confronted by the unexpected. He sees God in the image of a human being. His fear turns to astonishment, which turns to empathy and then to generosity of spirit. Temple service alone is not enough for the Master of the Universe. God needs the heart. This is a dramatic cultural turning point, though the sages depict it with their charact

For Oedipus it could not have been otherwise. In Greek tragedy this aspect of the narrative is known as fate. But in Jewish tragedy the heroes have a choice, and their fate is regarded as a consequence of their choices.

The Talmud suggests a model of gentle masculinity that ministers to young children without violence, reacting with a gentle touch to a blow struck in the classroom, offering closeness in place of censure. This is an open form of masculinity, one that unlocks the heavens. This is the kind of man who is able to cause the wind to blow and the rain to

In that moment Yishmael divests himself of his role as high priest and becomes only himself. He listens. He tries to overcome his fear and his preconceived notions. He wishes to be fully attentive, freed from his anxieties.