Day Of Unrest

“In the Beginning G-d created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form. … And the evening and the morning were the first day.”ⁱ

In the beginning the particle appeared. And, in accordance with the laws of physics, the Big Bang turned it into the universe that houses everything. Before that happened, time didn't exist. Nor did anything else.

“Who really knows, and who can swear, how creation came, when or where! Even gods came after creation’s day. Who really knows, who can truly say when and how did creation start? Did He do it? Or did He not? Only He, up there, knows, maybe; or perhaps, not even He.”ⁱⁱ

“There was something featureless yet complete, born before heaven and earth; Silent – amorphous – it stood alone and unchanging. We may regard it as the mother of heaven and earth. Not knowing its name, I style it the 'Way.' ... The Way gave birth to unity, Unity gave birth to duality, Duality gave birth to trinity, Trinity gave birth to the myriad creatures. The myriad creatures bear yin on their back and embrace yang in their bosoms. They neutralize these vapors and thereby achieve harmony.”ⁱⁱⁱ

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The first of these descriptions of the beginning comes from the King James Bible; the third from the Rig Veda, and describes a Hindu version; the fourth is from Daodejing – one of many Chinese cosmogonies. Around the world there are, of course, numerous other versions of the unknowable, the discussion of the origin of everything. They represent what is known as “Creation Myths”^iv and are matters of belief – no one really knows the facts.^v

Interestingly, the second version described above, the scientific view, seems just as mystical as the others. Notwithstanding any mathematical calculations and any theories of physics, it is as unprovable as any of them and just as reliant on belief^vi – in this case the beliefs of “rational” mathematicians and scientists.

But belief can have dangerous consequences.

An important part of the religious narrative, at least in the traditions that stem from the Jewish Bible,^vii is the concept that Creation took six days and G-d rested on the seventh. And He commanded us to rest on that day as well. That seventh day is usually termed Saturday and corresponds to the Sabbath^viii which is divinely ordained. The idea of a day of rest, though it has gained widespread acceptance, has not been viewed with favor universally.^ix

A few years ago^x I wrote an essay on the calendar. One of the points that it made was that “universal” calendars favored the elimination of the seven day week as he sole basis for construction of the “year.” Rather, they employ such a week for the purpose of general organization, but because a “perfect” year^xi is required – usually with 52 seven day weeks always beginning and usually beginning on Sunday – it's necessary to slip in one or more days that won't be counted. They're days off. And who can argue with an extra day or more of rest. But the extra day (or days) shifts the Sabbath each year, and that's unacceptable to those who observe it. Supporters of a universal calendar, however, demean those who favor a Sabbath. From their perspective, a day off is a useful and modern labor benefit; the Sabbath is a remnant of the outdated mythology of a bigot. (That perspective is, however, evidence of their own biases.)

Believers, though, have different views. Indeed, they often are bigots.

One instance involves some Jews who have difficulty tolerating the violation of the Sabbath^xii by other Jews. They may throw stones at the vehicles of those who drive on the day of rest, or simply castigate those whom they deem insufficiently observant. It's not an action, however, that is generally approved by others – even those who may agree concerning the specifics of the violations.

Of far greater concern, however, is the urge to impose the religious statutes of one religion on another, or to use the Sabbath for the purposes of incitement against those of other faiths. In medieval Rome, for example, especially when all the city's Jews were forced to live in a ghetto, those same Jews were required to listen to a Sunday Christian sermon which described their evils and the goodness of the Church. Following the sermon, the killing of the evil ones sometimes occurred – most notably on Easter to deal with those who, according to their teachings, had killed G-d, as if that were possible. It was an example of anti-semitism in a form that was sanctioned by Christianity, and was aimed at using the day of “rest” to intimidate, and sometimes to eliminate, those who did not share its views. (Regrettably it was a practice not limited to Rome.)

But, as the saying goes, “that was then ...” Unfortunately, things haven't changed. Or perhaps they've gotten worse. Anti-semitism flourishes. There's an opinion piece in yesterday's Wall Street Journal entitled “Do Jews Have a Future in Europe?”^xiii The main (but not sole) source of the bias is “the violent threat of jihadists.” Although it is considered racist to say so, most of the violent episodes of which the media tell us daily involve Muslims. And it is sad to note that we frequently hear of similar violence instigated by a cleric who makes such action a focus of his Friday message to the faithful. It is not a surprise that the prayer service on that holy day is an important part of their indoctrination,^xiv for it is the time when the largest number of believers is there and eager to learn who is oppressing them and what they must do in response.

So how did everything begin? And when? I don't know. Was it a Divine Creation? Was it the logical result of scientific laws? Was there some other mechanism in play? The question is hard to resolve and will probably never be answered to everyone's satisfaction. But the secret of existence and the meaning of life should never be something that divides us. It should never be the excuse for depriving life of all meaning. And we should certainly not use a part of our observance as as tool whose purpose is to oppress others. Especially not on the day we consider most sacred.

“In the Beginning G-d created the heaven and the earth.” But it was for us – all of us – to live with each other. Not only on the day of rest, but on the rest of the days.

Next episode: “Hermitage” – Alone by design or not.

i        King James Bible.

ii       Rig Veda 10.129.1-7, from Science and the World’s Religions, ed. Patrick McNamara and Wesley J. Wildman, 2012.

iii      Daodejing, Translation – Victor Mair, 1990.

iv      Labeling them as “myths” rather than “narratives” or “accounts” immediately tells the reader not to believe them. Notwithstanding the scientific explanation given, which human logic tells us is more believable than the other narratives, we do not – we cannot – choose between them on rational grounds.

v       Or even that our concept of “fact” makes any sense when considering cosmogony.

vi       Where did the particle come from Daddy? And the laws of physics? What's on the next block beyond the restaurant at the end of the universe?

vii      Although this is not the only view, it, and the works that originated from it, serves the largest number of individuals. I do not pretend there are not other understandings of time.

viii    Actually the Jewish Sabbath, from which the concept stems, begins, in accordance with the biblical description of each day beginning in the evening, just before sunset on Friday and continues until about an hour after sunset on Saturday, but for practical purposes it is usual to consider Saturday as the seventh day, removing complications that are confusing to some. Notwithstanding the Bible's decrees, there are those who sanctify the first or the sixth day of the week – or some other time – for holiness. For some, the day of rest is weekly – for others the schedule is different. But the concepts of rest and reflection are the rule.

ix       “ … even after the Romans had taken over the oriental seven-day week, … the Jews were accused of 'laziness.' So little was Sabbath understood and so much was it resented that many a Greek city, and once apparently a Roman emperor himself, prohibited its observance.” From “A Social and Religious History of the Jews,” volume 1 (second edition), by Salo Baron, Columbia University Press, 1952.

x        On January 14, 2011. I'm sure you remember. But just to remind you, it was entitled “Klutz or Kluznik.”

xi       It has to correspond to the solar year of 365 and a quarter (more or less) days.

xii       “Violation” relates to rules which may not be accepted by others who view themselves as observant.

xiii     WSJ, June 16, 2014. Essay by Simone Rodan-Benzaquen and Daniel Schwammenthal. (The paper also included an article on the abduction of three boys in Israel, raising the question of whether Jews are safe anywhere.)

xiv      The indoctrination is everywhere, especially in the schools and in the mosques where children are taught hatred and violence from the beginning.