A Jewish Alternative: Attempt 3 (Part 2)

In our last iteration attempting to find a model for a Jewish Narnia we explored several of the themes the Sages saw manifest in the zodiac. Specifically, we saw how they reflect the themes of the months during which each zodiac  is ascendant. We noted that each of the 12 tribes corresponded to a sign of the zodiac and that each of the zodiac had a certain merit thereby causing it to be an unfavorable time for Haman’s attempt to destroy the Jewish nation.   

The zodiac reflects additional themes explained as midrashic (Pesikta Rabbati 27) rationales given by God as to why the Temple could not be destroyed in that month. “God desired to destroy [the Temple] in the first month. The merit of Isaac arose and said, ‘Master of the Universe! Recall the Binding, when I was bound before you (and almost sacrificed by Abraham), and gave ram, in place of a ram [Aries being the sign for the first month].” God was unable to destroy the Temple in the second month due to the merit of Abraham who ran to the cattle (Taurus) to prepare meat for his guests. For the third month it was the merit of Jacob who was a twin [Gemini]. The fourth month was not possible either due to the merit of Moses who was saved from the water (similar to Cancer, who is a beast created from water). Finally, in the fifth month represented by a lion (Leo) God destroyed the Temple which is compared to a lion, smote Israel (Judea) which is compared to lion, because they disregarded the words of the prophets whose message is compared the roar of a lion. 

Another midrash interprets the creation of the zodiac as symbolic of the actions of man (Pesikta Rabbati 20). And a final one (Tanchuma Ha’azinu 1) invokes the zodiac to define the stages of a man’s life. All of these are compiled in the below table. 

Sign of Zodiac	Hebrew Name	Hebrew Month	Tribe	Merit Haman	Merit Temple	Man’s Actions	Man’s Life
Aries	Lamb	Nissan	Judah	Passover	Isaac	Light	newborn
Taurus	Ox	Iyyar	Issachar	Joseph / sacrifices	Abraham	Angel of darkness	Grows in strength
Gemini	Twins	Sivan	Zebulun	Peretz & Zerach	Jacob	Man	Gains evil inclination
Cancer	Crab	Tamuz	Reuben		Moses	Pinches from crack	Weakness (to sin)
Leo	Lion	Av	Shimon	Daniel (from tribe of Judah)		Strong like a lion	Strong versus sin
Virgo	Virgin	Elul	Gad	Chananya, Mishael, & Azarya		Rejoices in marriage	Sins and weakens
Libra	Scales	Tishrei	Ephraim	Job		Actions weighed	Sins and is judged
Scorpio	Scorpion	Cheshvan	Menashe	Ezekiel		Sins and sent to hell	Sent to hell
Sagittarius	Bow	Kislev	Benjamin	Joseph		They seek mercy, shot from hell	Repents, shot from hell
Capricorn	Kid (Goat)	Tevet	Dan	Jacob		Leaps out like a kid	Becomes soft and clean
Aquarius	Bucket	Shevat	Asher	Moses		God purifies man	Man is purified
Pisces	Fish	Adar	Naftali			Israel not ruled by signs (like fish)	Grows in joyous pleasure

The above table provides useful themes to model God’s interactions with man and, perhaps, as a basis for a Jewish based Narnia. 

  

However, there is a fundamental problem with using the planets or the zodiac as our themes. You can already see it in the Table. We’ll discuss in our next post.  

Valiance (Part 1)

The Whole Wide World Is a Very Narrow Bridge, and The Important Thing Is to Not Be Afraid

A quick interlude to our search for a Jewish Narnia, motivated by a discussion I had with my kids… 

There are three characters in the Chronicles of Narnia described by Lewis as valiant: Queen Lucy the Valiant, Trumpkin the Dwarf, and Reepicheep, the most valiant of all the Talking Beasts of Narnia. The theme of valiance, as manifested by Reepicheep, plays an especially prevalent role in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  That book was described by Lewis (in a letter to a fan quoted in Prof. Ward’s “Planet Narnia”) as “presenting the spiritual life (especially in Reepicheep).” Why is valiance so important to the spiritual life? Why does R’ Nachman of Breslov (in the above maxim) call not being afraid an ikkar, something centrally important? We will try to answer this question by understanding Reepicheep. 

There are a few useful things to know about Reepicheep: 

First, Reepicheep is bad at chess. Of course, lots of people are bad at chess, but Reepicheep is bad at chess because he sees himself in the pieces he controls. If Reepicheep was a piece, he would certainly put himself into a dangerous battle position irrespective of the likely consequences.  

Second, Caspian warns Reepicheep not to challenge a dragon single-handedly. Caspian does not see fit to warn anyone else. 

Third, Reepicheep has no problem landing on an island that is pitch-black in the middle of the day. No one else thought this was a very good idea. 

Fourth, Reepicheep jumped into the sea to fight seemingly dangerous mermen even though there was no sign of danger and no other obvious reason to do so, except that a challenge was given.   

The above clearly shows that Reepicheep is valiant. But does one really have to be so valiant? Maybe sometimes one should try to avoid danger, rather than jumping in headfirst? Maybe a bit of caution? 

There are a few stages in our quest (if we’re following Reepicheep it should be a quest) to understand the value of valiance in the spiritual persona. We will try to explore them over a few posts. 

Let us start with the concept of fear, the actual subject of R’ Nachman’s verse (now turned song). True fear, not fear that you might miss your bus, but existential fear must be reserved for God alone. Anything else borders on blasphemy (though God has commanded fear of, for example, one’s parents, this is likely because they reflect God). Certainly, one cannot fear a physical enemy knowing that God can sweep them away in a moment! 

Besides the theological pitfalls of fear, lack of fear enables freedom of action. Reepicheep is described as one who lacks fear, “... no one had ever known Reepicheep to be afraid of anything.” He, therefore, can properly judge whether Lucy should face the magician. Others have to be concerned that perhaps they are motivated, or demotivated, by fear thus coloring their judgement. Reepicheep, “could say this (that Lucy should face the magician) without feeling at all awkward.” Thus, it is Lucy’s valiance, combined with Reepicheep’s, that propels Lucy forward. 

However, lack of fear cannot explain the actions of Reepicheep. Lack of fear will allow one to explore the Dark Island, but alone it will not demand the island be explored. Reepicheep must be motivated by a positive force from which his valiance arises. We will explore this force in later posts. 

A Jewish Alternative: Attempt 3 (Part 1)

The zodiac has long been and is, to this day, a main source of astrological predictions. Jewish sources as well speak of the consequences of being born under the different signs (see for example, Zedah LaDerech of R’ Menachem ibn Zerach). However, even excluding calenderical considerations, rabbinic sources attach much non-astrological symbolism to the zodiac. This can provide thematic material around which to create stories demonstrating God’s relationship with man. 

The most obvious symbolism expressed by the zodiac corresponds to the months of the year as stated in Pirkei d’Rebbi Eliezer (chapter 6). This incorporates into the zodiac the themes manifest by the months themselves. Thus, Aries, in which the sun was located on the vernal equinox corresponds to Nissan the Month of the Spring (see ). The holiday of Passover (the Celebration of Spring) occurs during Nissan and is celebrated by bringing the Paschal lamb as a sacrifice. Libra in which the sun was located on the autumnal equinox corresponds to the month of Tishrei in which is celebrated the Festival of the Harvest. The Days of Judgement, represented by scales, are also celebrated during Tishrei. 

Each sign of the zodiac is also said (Yalkut Shimoni, Exodus 418) to represent one of the 12 tribes. During the 40 years the Jews wandered in the wilderness, the tribes camped around the Tabernacle in four camps of three tribes each. The first, encamped to the east of the Tabernacle and was headed by the tribe of Judah joined by Issachar and Zebulun. They correspond to the signs of Ares, Taurus and Gemini respectively. The second, the camp of Reuben was to the south of the Tabernacle and Reuben, Simon, and Gad thus correspond to Cancer, Leo, and Virgil. And so on. 

A third symbolism is put into the mouth of the evil Haman when deciding on which day he should mass murder the Jews of the Persian empire (Esther Rabbah 7:11). Looking for an astrologically opportune time, Haman discards certain times because they are governed by zodiacal signs which would be auspicious to the Jews. Ares contained the merit of the Paschal lamb, Taurus the merit of Joseph who was compared to a bull, Gemini the merit of the twin sons of Judah and Tamar, and so on.    

With the range of themes available, the zodiac, then, can serve as a conduit through which we can characterize the various interactions between man and God. Using the zodiac as a framework for a series of novels may then serve as an appropriate  Jewish Narnia. 

We will continue to explore the themes of the zodiac in our next post.

A Jewish Narnia: Interim Summary

To this point, we have suggested two possible frameworks for constructing a Jewish Narnia. Both are recorded in the Talmud in the context of astrology; namely, those born at certain times will exhibit certain characteristics. The truth or falsehood of astrology is not what is immediately relevant. Rather, it is that the Talmud believes these times exhibit particular modes through which God interacts with people.

The first framework builds off of the days of Creation. God’s pronouncement on each ‘day’ of Creation forevermore colors the characteristic of that day. This is further attested to by the unique prayers recited on each day. The second framework uses hours, rather than days, and looks to the guiding planet of that hour. The planet manifests certain characteristics based on its name or its astronomical position.  

Both frameworks, however, require significant expansion, or even redirection, of the Talmudic narrative to properly manifest God’s interaction with His creations. The Talmud’s assertion, for example, that one born on Monday will be short-tempered is quite the opposite of God’s characteristic of being “slow to anger.” An appropriate Monday substitute (though relevant to other days as well) would be God as a divider or differentiator. He divides between the upper and lower waters, between light and darkness, and between the holy and profane. 

A similar substitute may be in order for Tuesday as well. While one born on Tuesday may, in the Talmud’s estimate, be rich and promiscuous, neither adjective is used to describe God. However, the themes manifest by plants could certainly yield a more fruitful approach. R’ Soloveitchik (The Emergence of Ethical Man) notes that “the likeness of man to plant is the most central theme in the prophets.” He expands as follows:

Man’s short-lived sojourn on earth, his weakness, vulnerability, and exposure to the elemental forces of nature are pictorially described by using the analogue of the plant, which displays similar qualities. On the other hand, the propensities of the plant to grow rapidly and in multitudes, to regenerate, to repair its losses, were used by the prophets in their vision of the glorious future of Israel and of the righteous individual. 

The second framework would also do well with certain modifications. The Talmud’s assertion that, “One who was born under the influence of Mars will be one who spills blood,” can certainly engender a story of thieves and ritual slaughterers. However, if we would like our story to  demonstrate how God relates to His creations we may be better off shifting our theme somewhat. Possibilities may be about the neutrality of human character traits (even one with a tendency to spill blood can use it destructively or constructively. Or perhaps, building on the Hebrew name for Mars, ma’dim, comes from the root edom, meaning red. This name was no doubt chosen to reflect the color of the planet. However, the bible uses Edom as another name for Esau. The ontological war of Jacob vs. Esau is widely discussed in midrashic literature and can certainly be transformed into an appropriate atmosphere for a story. 

Similarly the assertion that one born under the influence of Venus will be rich and promiscuous (like Tuesday in the previous framework) can be substituted for the Talmud’s theme of fire as being hung under the influence of Venus. This bespeaks God’s encouragement of man to advance technologically and perfect the world. Perhaps this would serve as an appropriate theme or atmosphere as well.   

In summary, both of the Talmud’s astrological constructs of the days of week (based on the days of Creation) and the planets’ influence on time can serve as frameworks for a Jewish Narnia. While the explicit Talmudic references do not all echo God’s interactions with man, as done in The Chronicles of Narnia, with some adjustments they could be made to do so. 

Still; there is another astrological construct that may also serve our purpose and is worthy of exploration, that of the zodiac. We will examine this possibility in our next post.

A Jewish Alternative: Attempt 2

In our last post we suggested a possible outline for a Jewish parallel to the Chronicles of Narnia based on the Talmud’s astrological predictions of those born on certain days of the week. The accuracy of these predictions is of no more import to us than the reality of the Roman gods. Rather, the Talmud’s statement implies that the seven days of Creation leave a permanent signature. If God’s relationship with His world on Sunday was via the creation of extremes (light and darkness) then He must consistently relate to the world in that way (at least on Sundays). On an astrological level this means that people born on that day will have the theme of the day inbred into their personality. On a theological level, this provides a framework for understanding God’s interactions with creation.

 

Honestly, I’ve been going back and forth as to whether this framework is appropriate. Do people feel that Thursday is a day of kindness and Friday a day of seeking to fulfill the words of God, while Monday is a day of anger? I do not believe anyone feels it consciously. Nonetheless, if the mark of Creation still exists on these days, maybe we feel it subconsciously. And, after all that is the point. C.S. Lewis never revealed his secret, but Michael Ward posits (correctly I believe) that people felt the themes of the Chronicles anyway, because the themes represented by the wandering planets (and their mythological cohorts) are innate and universal.

The Talmud, however, rejects the astrological signs of R’ Yehoshua and posits an alternative: we need not pay attention to the day, but to the hour. And each hour is representative of a different one of the wandering planets.   

One who was born under the influence of the sun will be a radiant person; he will eat from his own resources and drink from his own resources, and his secrets will be exposed.

One who was born under the influence of Venus will be a rich and promiscuous person. What is the reason for this? Because fire was born during the hour of Venus, he will be subject to the fire of the evil inclination, which burns perpetually.

One who was born under the influence of Mercury will be an enlightened and expert man, because Mercury is the sun’s scribe, as it is closest to the sun.

One who was born under the influence of the moon will be a man who suffers pains, who builds and destroys, and destroys and builds. He will be a man who eats not from his own resources and drinks not from his own resources, and whose secrets are hidden. 

One who was born under the influence of Saturn will be a man whose thoughts are for naught. And some say that everything that others think about him and plan to do to him is for naught.

One who was born under the influence of Jupiter [tzedek] will be a just person [tzadkan]. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: And just in this context means just in the performance of mitzvot.

One who was born under the influence of Mars will be one who spills blood. Rav Ashi said: He will be either a blood letter, or a thief, or a slaughterer of animals, or a circumciser. 

Here the concentration is not on the day and its theme based on the Creation story, but on the hour which is influenced by one of the wandering planets. These planets inherently manifest certain themes based on their name or astronomical position, and this has influence on the time period under its aegis. 

Following this path would create a Jewish Narnia based on the planets, as Lewis himself did.