Peter's Shield

In speaking of Peter's shield, I neglected to mention that Peter's shield comes up somewhere else: the single combat between Peter and Miraz. Before going into that story a quick introduction.

The shield that has an insignia. The insignia on the shield of Peter the High King over all kings of Narnia is the red lion. The red lion does not appear on Peter's sword, but on his shield. Now, of course, the shield has space for an insignia while the sword doesn't. But I find it interesting that the insignia is on the defensive tool, not the offensive one. Peter's defensive tool is marked by Aslan while his offensive tool is not. However, in the combat against Miraz, the shield becomes an offensive tool. 

You'll remember that during the battle with Miraz Peter's shield goes limp - he cannot use his shield properly, he is open to attack. That is the view on the battlefield. But there's another perspective, not any less true: the red lion, Aslan, is lying limp no longer defending Peter. He has left him open, naked, and without protection. But there's a backstory, why is Peter's shield limp? Peter explains to Edmund and Dr. Conelius - the rim of his shield drove into his wrist causing (at least) a pretty severe sprain. In ther words, Peter's shield has been the cause of its going limp. Or, from our alternate perspective, Aslan has not merely left Peter open to harm, he has turned against him. Aslan caused the harm that left Peter without protection. 

Aslan went from defending Peter to attacking him. 

This is quite the lesson for Peter. But what has Peter done wrong? I think the answer is pretty clear. For most of 'Prince Caspian' Peter has been attempting to lead on his own, rather than paying heed to Aslan. He has, perhaps, quite forgotten that Alsan is the King and it is not Peter who will bring victory through single combat, but Aslan who may decide to use Peter's hand to achieve that victory. 

Nevertheless, Peter has a solution - to have wrist tied very tight. In other words to limit its utility, make it unable to bend or rotate. Disable himself to rely on Aslan.     

Who Has Rewarded Me With Goodness

"He was as safe as if he had been in bed, though he did not feel so." 

(Prince Caspian)

Trumpkin the dwarf's first meeting with Aslan was quite eye-opening for the (then) unbelieving dwarf. Aslan quickly demonstrated who was the boss, tossing Trumpkin in the air and then catching him, safe and sound. Lewis describes the scene with the above quote - Trumpkin was perfectly safe, Aslan had great things in store for him, he just didn't feel that way twisting and turning in the air. 

One might think that this should always be the case. A person will live if God wills it, and will not if God wills otherwise. A priori, it doesn't matter if one finds himslef in seemingly dangerous circumstances (as Trumpkin did) because all is by the will of God. Hence, one need not worry, pray, or beseech God any more in a dangerous circumstance than in a normal one, because one's survival is only dependent on God.   

That this is not the case can be demonstrated on multiple levels. First note Jacob's reluctance to send Benjamin down to Egypt with his brothers. Jacob is concerned that some accident will happen to him. But why is Jacob more worried about Benjamin elsewhere? Either God decrees evil upon Benjamin or not, who cares where he is? The midrash already addresses this question saying, "From here it is derived that the heavenly accuser accuses only in a time of danger." In other words, someone is more likely to judged harshly if they are in danger. 

Another source demonstrating this is the existence of the Thanksgiving offering (now fulfilled by the recitation of the 'birkas hagomel,' the benediction recited over goodness). This offering is brought after a person survives a particularly dangerous event: travel across desert or over a sea, spending time in prison, or suffering a grave illness. The details of the offering are such that a lot of food has to be eated in a short time, forcing the owner, the survivor, to invite others to partake. This will naturally lead to his publicizing God's kindness to him and sanctify God's name in public.

Though we currently do not have the ability to bring offerings it appears to me that the opportunity to publicly thank God for his kindness should be taken. So, with that in mind, I would like to publicly thank God for protecting my son during his just-ended service in the Israeli Defense Force. I am not going to try to describe the worry and concern we, his parents, had during that time, especially being so far away. However, we can now look back and see that God was with him at every step and in every decision. 

Of course, prayers are still needed for all of the soldiers protecting the people of Israel and for the hostages whose suffering is unimaginable. But that in no way lessens my obligation to thank God for the kindness he has done to me and I feel priveleged to be able to share my story with all of you. 

The Light of Darkness (Part 2)

In our previous post on darkness we discussed that, just as there are two types of silence, there are two types of darkness: complete darkness of dread and fear, and darkness which enables you to see something else. The total silence of the Dark Island was not disturbed by the sound of the oars, nor was the total darkness dissolved by the lanterns on the ship. But the silence of the Witch and dwarf enabled Edmond to hear the sounds of Spring, is there are parallel within the Chronicles in which darkness provides light?

I would like to suggest the answer is yes. One night, as the land of Narnia lay dormant ruled by the cruel King Miraz, the Tarva, the Lord of Victory, saluted Alambil, the Lady of Peace, in the heavens above. The great majority of those below were asleep, not even knowing the history of the past, they certainly would not look to the heavens to read the history of the future. Yet, two men from the King's palace stood upon the highest tower watching the conjunction. One was Caspian, Prince of Narnia who had been awoken by his teacher for what he thought was a lesson in astronomy. The other was an old sage, about to bare his heart to his young student, who knew that, as he peered through the darkness, he saw the light of redemption that he was about to spark. 

Dr. Cornelius knew that to light the fire the young prince all else had to be muted. Caspian had to see not Narnia as it was, but Narnia as it could be.  

The stars of Narnia dance, at Aslan's command, in time and step with prophecies of the future. But it is only in the darkness of night that the future can be learned. Keep on the lights and all you see is the present. Turn them off, and the future descends.  

God as a Friend

Son of Earth, shall we be friends?

(Aslan to Trumpkin, Prince Caspian)

Hopefully everyone has the opportunity to do something for C.S. Lewis reading day. Personally, besides the previous post, I had the chance to listen in to one of the Pints with Jack livestreams (the one that started before Shabbos). I even got to type in some answers which were noted by the hosts. Specifically, I mentioned that Lewis would certainly have considered Jesus as his best friend. And while I think that is true, I do not think the concept of God as friend is at all obvious.

In Prince Caspian, Trumpkin the dwarf plays a major role in establishing Caspian as the head of the rebels against the evil King Miraz. He helps rally the troops, quiet potential arguments, and even goes to search for whatever help may come with the blowing of the horn. Yet, he does not believe in the old stories or in Aslan the son of the Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. It is only upon seeing Aslan with his own eyes is he persuaded at which point Aslan asks him the above question - shall we be friends?

How can someone be friends with God?

This was one of the topics I addressed in an article I wrote that I cited in the last post and Lewis helps us define what this could mean. In The Four Loves, Lewis comments, "Lovers are normally face to face, absorbed in each other; Friends, side by side, absorbed in some common interest." Any love, according to Lewis, requires giving of oneself. What differentiates friendship from other loves is a shared common interest. Hence, to be friends with God one must share an interest with Him.

What interest can be shared with God?

In our world, God and the Jewish people share the quest of spreading the truth of the One God to all of humanity. Hence, Abraham who walks before God, is His friend. Abraham does not need God's to command him to spread His name. It is Abraham's quest as much as it is God's. Noah, to contrast, walks with God. He follows God's commands because God told him to do so. Noah is God's loyal servant, maybe even a son, but he is not God's friend.

In Prince Caspian, the common interest between Aslan and the Old Narnians was freeing Narnia from King Miraz enabling the Old Narnians to return as regular citizens. However, Aslan's interest was that the country should once again be faithful to the morality that he instilled, while others doubted that such morality even existed. That lack of overlap soured the friendship - what good is Narnia without its moral compass?

But Trumpkin learns to be Aslan's friend. He now knows that defeating Miraz is not sufficient and he has taken as his own to restore Narnia to its glory of, not only power and wealth, but of a moral society to be a light to the rest of the world.

Never the Same Way Twice: The Chanukkah Story and the Story of Chanukkah

But things never happen the same way twice 

(Aslan, Prince Caspian)

In our last post we spoke about the role of stories in the bible We suggested while law may instruct us how to act in a certain situation, stories will guide us as to what type of situations we should put ourselves. 

However, there is related role for stories: to inspire us to go beyond the law. 

Over the last few days Jews throughout the world have told the story of Chanukkah which goes something like this: 

During the Second Temple period Judea was ruled by the Seleucid Empire under Antiochus IV. Though Judea had generally been granted a great deal of self-autonomy and were not restricted from practicing their religion, Antiochus eventually changed the status quo and decreed that the Jews must violate certain dictates of their religion including the dietary laws, the Shabbat, and circumcision. The Maccabees revolted and, on their way to winning Jewish political independence, captured Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple to the One God. 

As is well known, the Maccabees scoured the Temple for olive oil that was ritually pure in order to light the menorah (candelabra). However, all of the oil and most everything else in the Temple, had been profaned by the Seleucids and they were only able to find one small jug of pure olive oil, enough for one day. Famously the oil burned for eight days providing ample time to procure additional ritually pure oil. 

Was the Maccabean revolt required by Jewish law? A priori the answer would be no. Jewish law provides for circumstances when one is forced against compliance. Specifically, the law outlines when one must give up their life and when not. And while giving up one's life is necessary rather than worship idols, one can violate the above-mentioned laws without risking one's life. So why did they choose to revolt?

Presumably, they learned from other stories. Abraham risked his life to save his nephew Lot from the clutches of the four invading kings. Simeon and Levi risked their lives to free their sister from the rapist Sh'chem. The Maccabees, faced with rampant assimilation and the risk of devastating losses of Jews to their religion, followed their lead and fought for independence. 

However, as Aslan says in the quote above, salvation does not happen the same way twice, and in the United States the evolution of Chanukkah became a story in and of itself. 

Two thousand years after the Chanukkah story, in the late 1870s, a group of young Jewish men from New York and Philadelphia gathered to form Kiyam Deshmaya, a group dedicated to revitalizing Jewish life in America. I'll leave the details to others, but, faced with rampant assimilation the likes of which may not have been seen since Hellenism, they chose an exact opposite method for salvation. Yet, perhaps ironically, it was the Chanukkah story that was a cornerstone for their plans. 

Of course, Kiyam Deshmaya had no intention of following the Maccabees to arms. Quite the opposite, they exhibited nothing but gratitude to the "kingdom of kindness" that is the United States, rather they strove to make Chanukkah as American as any other holiday. They told their fellow citizens a story of Jews that reflected their own history and origin: to stand for what is right, that a small army can overcome a superpower if only God is on their side, and that even one spark of light can banish immense darkness. 

And it worked! 

All over the United States people graciously wish their Jewish fellow-citizens a Happy Chanukkah.   

Happy Chanukkah to all! 

Susan's Horn

Much ink has been spilled on Susan Pevensie and her betrayal of Narnia. I think there's more that has to be said but that's not the goal for today. Instead, I'd like to think about not Susan herself, but Susan's horn. 

Susan's horn was given to her by Father Christmas in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. However, even Father Christmas seemed unsure of the extent of its powers, "And when you put this horn to your lips; and blow it, then, wherever you are, I think help of some kind will come to you." 

The horn is first blown soon after it was gifted when Susan was being chased by the Wolf. Nothing magical seemed to have happened at that time. Aslan and Peter hear the horn and Peter saves Susan by killing the Wolf. Afterwards, it seems that Susan regularly kept the horn at her side, since she had it during the fateful hunting of the White Stag which brought the Pevensies back to England (though it seems she did not have it in Calormen in The Horse and His Boy). 

At that point the horn was lost for several centuries until it was discovered by Dr. Cornelius. He, in turn, gave the horn to Caspian before the latter's flight from the castle of his usurping Uncle Miraz. It was Caspian who then blew the horn for a second time and, this time, we see its remarkable magical ability. Trumpkin the Dwarf was already many hours journey away from Caspian and, nonetheless, described what he heard, "there came a sound that I'd never heard the like of in my born days. Eh, I won't forget that. The whole air was full of it, loud as thunder but far longer, cool and sweet as music over water, but strong enough to shake the woods. And I said to myself, `If that's not the Horn, call me a rabbit.' " And, of course, the horn dragged the Pevensie children out of England and back into Narnia. 

After Caspian's victory he offers the horn back to Susan, who refuses to accept, but at this point (and not in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) Susan is cheered as Queen Susan of the Horn. 

We hear nothing of the horn for the rest of the Chronicles. It was not used again by Caspian even when trying to find his lost son. It was not used by King Erlian before falling in battle against the giants, and it was not used by King Tirian as Narnia came crashing down.  

However, we do find some other significant horns in The Last Battle. There is Father Time's horn which he blows to end the world, and there is King Frank's horn which gathers the Narnian heroes in the Narnian nirvana. What is the purpose of all of these horns?

Perhaps the purpose is to call others home. Father Time's horn unleashes a mass of shooting stars who eventually come down to Narnia, "All the stars were falling: Aslan had called them home." King Frank's horn brings the Narnian heroes further up and further in. 

What of Susan's horn?

Susan's horn brought Peter to knighthood. Susan's horn brought the Pevensies home to Narnia. And, I believe, Susan's horn will one day bring Susan, and all who are like her, home as well. 

In the U'netaneh Tokef prayer on the Days of Awe we are told of the Heavenly judgement. The great horn (the shofar) will be sounded causing even the angels to tremble. All creatures then come single file before God to be judged, "Like a shepherd pasturing his flock." However, this frightening picture is transformed if we look at the prooftext of Ezekiel. In the 34th chapter Ezekiel tells of the shepherds charged with caring for God's sheep - His people, the nation of Israel. The shepherds were irresponsible, even evil, not caring for the sheep, harming them, causing them to scatter to faraway places. 

God will punish the evil shepherds and then lovingly gather the sheep, "like a shepherd pasturing his flock." He will judge their needs and bring them home to the Land of Israel. Once again, the horn calls out to the people, "The day of judgement has arrived, God will seek you for it is time to come home."   

There are horns in this world even not on the Day of Judgement. They take on different forms: some are pleasant, some are excruciatingly painful. But they serve the same purpose, to call out to those who have strayed, it is time to come home. 

Idolatry vs. Physicality

The prophet Jeremiah speaks of two kinds of false prophets: 

In the prophets of Samaria I saw a repulsive thing: they prophesied by Baal and led My people Israel astray. And in the prophets of Jerusalem I saw something horrifying: adultery and false dealing. They encourage evildoers, so that no one turns back from their own wickedness. To Me they are all like Sodom and [all] its inhabitants like Gomorrah. (Jeremiah 23:13-14)

Which is worse? Those who prophesized in the name of idols or those who cheated and encouraged evil? 

Well, it seems pretty clear that the latter are worse. After all, the inhabitants of Samaria are still called "My people" though they have been swayed to idol-worship. However, the inhabitants of Jerusalem are compared to Sodom and Gomorrah, which is pretty bad. 

I'm not convinced this is what Lewis had in mind, but perhaps it helps us differentiate the reign of the White Witch versus the reign of the Telmar. There were Talking Beasts who joined the White Witch. They became the enemies of Aslan but never ceased to be Talking Beasts. But with Telmar rule various ones of the Talking Beasts, Trumpkin explains, "have gone enemy and gone dumb." Why? 

The White Witch was similar to idolatry as she was a demonic figure. Those who joined her thought they were joining the winning side. They recognized magic, a beyond physical existence and even perhaps Aslan as a power but they were mesmerized by the White Witch. Of course, any who fought against Aslan were the enemy, and they were not allowed to live if they refused to repent after Peter's victory. 

Telmar represented purely physical (not spiritual) rule. There was no Aslan and no White Witch, no spirituality even of the corrupt sort. There was simply the ethic of Sodom and Gomorrah, each man for themselves.  Talking Beasts can talk only because of the spiritual sustenance of Aslan. Joining such an ethic and worldview puts them in the same worldview as the instinctive, selfish Dumb Beasts and thus they have lost their right to remain Talking Beasts. 

The End of the Jewish Holiday Season

A little flat and dreary for a moment after all they had been through, but also, unexpectedly, nice in its own way... 

(Prince Caspian)

The Jewish Holiday season stretches from Rosh HaShana (which this year started the evening of September 15th), through Yom Kippur and Sukkot, and finally Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah (which ended earlier this evening October 8th). Through it all, we pleaded with God to forgive our sins, dipped apples in honey, fasted, built booths, waved palm branches, enjoyed holiday meals with family and friends, and spent lots of time in the synagogue. And that's not counting the myriad of other rituals, prayers, and customs that color each of these days. 

Now it's over.

And that always reminds me of the above line at the end of Prince Caspian. 

Yes, tomorrow I'll be back at work catching up on a million emails and trying to connect with all the people I've been pushing off. True, it will back to the same job, the same office, the same people... just regular. Still, thank God, that's great too. 

The holiday season is only a holiday season because of the non-holidays in between. And God watches over us in regular times as well, even if we don't feel His presence as strongly.

And, of course, in Judaism, you're never too far from the next holiday. Chanukah is just two months away. The time of light and miracles cannot come soon enough. 

The Crime of Returning to the Ways of the Dumb Beasts

Over the past few posts, we have been trying to determine what causes the punishment of, “lest you cease to be Talking Beasts.” A priori, the cause should be returning to the Wild Ways of the Dumb Beasts. Yet Ginger the Cat and the beasts who earlier joined the Telmarines went dumb though they do not appear to have returned to Dumb Beast ways. So, what is the crime and for what does one receive such a punishment?

What Ginger and the beasts who joined the Telmarines have in common is that they turned against Narnia and their fellow Narnians. Ginger collaborated with the Calormens to sell his own people as slaves to the Calormen’s and even cut down the woods. The other beasts joined the Telmarines as they invaded or controlled Narnia. All suffer from a lack of loyalty, purpose, and an understanding that some things are more important than your own comfort and even your own life.

Aslan’s command was not to return to the ways of the Dumb Beasts and, yet, we did not find any concrete example of what ways should be prohibited - not Bree’s rolling, and barely even the explicit (though unmentioned) actions of the Lapsed Bear of Stormness. The reason why is that any action of that sort is superficial. Rolling is what Dumb Beasts do, but it does not define their innate character.

What defines the Dumb Beasts is that they act on instinct not on morals. Instinct says to constantly seek pleasure and enjoyment. Instinct is to save one’s life at all costs. Morals push back against instinct, putting God front and center and requiring that HIs will be placed before yours.

We do not fully know the motivations of Ginger the rest. No doubt, at least in Ginger’s case, it was for power. Perhaps they were also motivated by wealth and comfort. But by following those instincts they left Aslan behind. They turned against their homeland and their fellows. They loosened their morals and thus acted instinctively, like the Dumb Beasts which they eventually became.

With this we perhaps have solved our riddle. The prohibition against returning to the ways of the Dumb Beasts is not an action, it may not even be a direction, but rather it’s placing instinct before morals. We find examples of beasts that violated this prohibition and were indeed punished. And, while not formulating concrete rules, we do have a guideline as to when the prohibition is violated.

There are two points still to be made. First, why are Aslan’s words not mentioned, recorded, or very much considered in the Chronicles of Narnia? One would think this command would be in the forefront of the minds of the Talking Beasts, rather than being referred to in a few “throw away” statements. To address this we’ll reconsider the dynamic of Aslan’s words had they been said in a Jewish context.

Second, recall that Susan hesitated before shooting at a bear attacking her, her siblings, and Trumpkin in the woods because she was concerned that it was perhaps a talking bear. Lucy replies to Susan’s hesitation with what she calls a “horrible idea.” I won’t quote it now but take a look as it deserves quite some thought.

Ginger and Other Former Talking Beasts

In our last post we contrasted two Talking Beasts: the Lapsed Bear of Stormness and Ginger the Cat. The Lapsed Bear is specifically called out for going back to Wild Beast habits (though no specific habits are called out). However, he is saved through the bravery and strength of Corin Thunder-Fist and does not appear to suffer the punishment of ceasing to be a talking beast. On the other hand Ginger does cease to be a talking beast but there is no clear sign that he reverted to the habits of Dumb Beasts. So how is the punishment of losing sentience appropriate?

Perhaps we can gain some insight by noting that there are other beasts who have been afflicted by Aslan’s promised curse of ceasing to be Talking Beasts. These are identified by Trumpkin the Dwarf. As Trumpkin and the four Pevensie children make their way to Caspian’s camp, they are followed by a bear. When the bear attacks, it is Trumpkin’s arrow that takes him down, not Susan’s (though Susan is the better archer). Susan embarrassingly explains that she was worried it may have been a Talking Bear and therefore hesitated. Trumpkin, for his part, acknowledges Susan’s concern:

“That's the trouble of it,” said Trumpkin, “when most of the beasts have gone enemy and gone dumb, but there are still some of the other kind left. You never know, and you daren't wait to see.”

This is an astounding statement especially when considering that (1) at this point Trumpkin is not quite a believer in Aslan, and (2) Trufflehunter’s insistence that Beasts do not forget. Well, maybe Trumpkin is just reporting what he’s seen. As Talking Beasts join the enemies of the “Old Narnians” they cease to be Talking Beasts, they go dumb.

Again here we have the same theological question as with Ginger. What did these Beasts do to deserve the punishment they received?

I think the way to address this question is to uncover the essence of the prohibition against returning to Wild Beast habits. We’ll try to do that in our next post.

Narnian Ba'alei Teshuva: Trumpkin

An interesting twist of teshuva or religious renewal is when the subject that instigated the renewal is itself not a believer. For some, renewal is sparked by the beauty of the Heavens, the intensity of an experience, or the intricacies of logic. In these situations there need not be a sentient being in the renewal process. However, in other situations it is a fellow human who helps or sparks the renewal. What happens if that fellow loses, or never held, the beliefs or religion that he caused to flower?

The mishna in Ethics of the Fathers addresses this point stating, “One who brings many to righteousness will not come to sin.” The gmara explains, “Such that he should not be in Hell while his students are in Heaven.” Not surprisingly, the commentaries wrestle with how this can be accorded with the doctrine of free will, but that is not our issue at the moment.

Lewis may be attempting to contend with this issue in Prince Caspian. To review, Caspian has long been emotionally attached to the stories of Old Narnia told by his Nurse, and is surprised and delighted when they are verified by Doctor Cornelius, his tutor. However, he is not sure of the continued existence of Old Narnia until his sudden flight from the royal castle ends at the home of actual Old Narnians: Trufflehunter the Badger, Trumpkin the Red Dwarf, and Nikabrik the Black Dwarf. It is in their home where we are witness to the following exchange:

"Do you believe all those old stories?" asked Trumpkin.

"I tell you, we don't change, we beasts," said Trufflehunter. "We don't forget. I believe in the High King Peter and the rest that reigned at Cair Paravel, as firmly as I believe in Aslan himself."

"As firmly as that, I dare say," said Trumpkin. "But who believes in Aslan nowadays?"

"I do," said Caspian. "And if I hadn't believed in him before, I would now. Back there among the Humans the people who laughed at Aslan would have laughed at stories about Talking Beasts and Dwarfs. Sometimes I did wonder if there really was such a person as Aslan: but then sometimes I wondered if there were really people like you. Yet there you are."

To Caspian, the mere existence of Old Narnia proves the existence of Aslan. But Trumpkin (and Nikabrik) themselves do not believe in Aslan.

The story of Caspian’s revolt unfolds very differently for two non-believing dwarves. Despite his (unwilling) role in bringing Caspian to the truth of Aslan, Nikabrik is unable to himself recognize Aslan. His arrogance and thirst for power ensure that he cannot trust and could never blindly follow another. Had Caspian met only Nikabrik his momentary belief in Aslan would likely have dissipated. Nikabrik hated Caspian, could not see the good in him, and therefore could never be a true teacher. Nikabrik’s Old Narnians would be no better than the conquering Telmarines.

Yet, even for Nikabrik all is not lost, as Caspian says, “I am sorry for Nikabrik though he hated me from the first moment he saw me. He had gone sour inside from long suffering and hating. If we had won quickly he might have become a good Dwarf in the days of peace.” Thus, Peter allows Nikabrik to be buried with his people.

Trumpkin, however, swears loyalty to Caspian and proves a worthy subject even when he disagrees with the king. Hence, he is willing to travel to Cair Paravel to search for assistance that may be divinely sent even though he doubts the possibility of such an event. He explains, “You are my King. I know the difference between giving advice and taking orders. You've had my advice, and now it's the time for orders.”

It is no wonder that Trumpkin is one of only three ‘valiant’ characters in the Chronicles! His bravery, trust, and child-like willingness to jump into the unknown pays great dividends. He meets the Pevensie children and eventually Aslan himself. Trumpkin’s properly placed loyalty to an earthly king allows him to actuate loyalty to the True King. The unwitting teacher became the trusted student.

Narnian Ba'alei Teshuva: Caspian the Tenth

Prince Caspian (the second book of the Chronicles of Narnia, if one is following the proper order) contains a number of stories of spiritual renewal and teshuva. We will first quickly consider King Caspian the Tenth who is brought up in the darkness of Telmarine society, and awakens to its vacuity upon learning of the true origin and destiny of Narnia. Other such stories in Prince Caspian include that of Trumpkin the dwarf who repents his denial of the existence of Aslan, and even Susan repents for her initial doubts of Lucy’s visions.

While perhaps not enlightening concerning the characters themselves, we find it valuable to compare and contrast Caspian with the most outstanding repentant in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Eustace Clarence Scrubb. Both Caspian and Eustace are raised by skeptics. Caspian by his uncle Miraz and Eustace by his parents Harold and Alberta. Miraz outlawed the teaching of, and even the mention of, earlier Narnian history which by his time had retreated to myths and legends. He doubted the existence of lions and talking beasts and scoffed at the idea of a joint rule between brothers and sisters. Eustace, of course, is raised by Harold and Alberta who were “very up-to-date and advanced people.” So advanced and up to date that they leave Eustace with no imagination and little ability to dream.

There is, however, a major factor that differentiates the two. Caspian has a nurse who tells him stories of the olden days while Eustace has none. It appears that it is for this reason, that when confronted with Old Narnia, Caspian immediately is on board and supports them over his fellow Telmarines. When Eustace is confronted with Narnia he doesn’t know what to think. In fact, he’s quite sure it’s all a ruse and only a tortuous and painful procedure teaches him to think otherwise. We will return to Eustace later, but let’s spend a short amount of time on King Caspian the Seafarer, Tenth of that name.

How does Caspian, the boy everyone thought would be the next leader of the Telmarines in Narnina, morph into the champion of Old Narnia? What process allowed him to abandon his own people’s morality and ethics for that of (what is effectively) a foreign culture. The answer is, the stories of his nurse. Those stories made a far deeper impression on the young Caspian than all of his later studies in history, cosmography, and heraldry. Those stories remained alive within Caspian even as his nurse was dismissed and Dr. Cornelius took her place, and, under his tutelage the stories were transformed into history, ethics, and theology. Thus, it is the nurse and the tutor who gain the trust of the young Caspian and shape his worldview from that of a typical aristocratic Telmarine, into that of a savior for Old Narnia.

It is interesting to note a possible parallel between Caspian and Moses, the greatest of all prophets. Both were raised in the castle of the enemy of the Chosen People. Both were taught of the true worth of the downtrodden and what would be their glorious end: Caspian by his nurse and Moses either by his nursemaid (his genetic mother) or his adopted mother the daughter of the Pharaoh. Both run from the castle as they are likely to be sentenced for death, and reemerge as the champion for those downtrodden people they were taught to respect. Both initially doubted the success of their ultimate goal but were convinced to take on their leadership position. Finally, both were turned away from their Promised Land, Moses on the banks of the Jordan and Caspian at the edge of the Silver Sea.

What catalyzed Caspian? What propelled him to go to war with a band of woodland creatures against a great national power? The stories of his nurse. Stories are powerful, stories allow children to dream and adults to strive to reach those dreams. So, in our next post we will take a quick detour to explore the storyteller: Caspian’s nurse, or perhaps, C. S. Lewis.

Reepicheep the Zealot

In our last post we demonstrated the parallels between Reepicheep’s entry into Aslan’s country, as portrayed in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, with the ascendance of Elijah the prophet in a whirlwind to Heaven. However, this final parallel serves only to emphasize that Lewis modeled Reepicheep (at least partly) after the great prophet. Along with valiance, it is Reepicheep’s similarity to Elijah that provides insight into his character and actions throughout the Chronicles of Narnia.

What trait characterizes Elijah? Elijah himself answers that question when he asserts (Kings 1 19:10), “I have acted zealously for the Lord.” Elijah the Zealot is unafraid of taking on the 200 prophets of Ba’al on Mount Carmel. Elijah the Zealot doesn’t blink when threatened with arrest and imprisonment (or worse) by a phalanx of 50 soldiers, and it is Elijah the Zealot who can be, as it were, more zealous than God, appropriating for himself the power to withhold rain from the Kingdom of Israel (Kings 1 17:1).

Is Reepicheep a zealot? Merriam-Webster defines ‘zealous’ as, “fervent partisanship for a person, a cause, or an ideal,” and a ‘zealot’ as a “zealous person, especially a fanatical partisan.” While no form of the word zeal appears anywhere in the Chronicles, the description seems appropriate for Reepicheep. Reepicheep is a fanatical partisan for Narnia, the country of Aslan. Our first glimpses already demonstrate this zeal loyalty to his king and his people. He is immediately at Caspian’s disposal, and, by suggesting storming Miraz’s castle as soon as possible, demonstrates his zeal of reviving Old Narnia. At the Battle of Beruna he and his mice storm into the heart of the battle. Reepicheep’s need to crush pirates, defeat dragons, battle unknown mermen, experience adventure, and achieve glory come not only from bravery or even valiance. Rather, because is a Narnian zealot.

How dare Terebinthian pirates attack the ship of the King of Narnia, such is a blasphemous act! A merman offers a challenge, how could the representative of Aslan turn away, it would suggest Aslan is weak! A taunt of a Telmarine dares to question Aslan’s assertion, Reepicheep will march his mice into another world to stand for the truth. Turn away from a Dark Island? Not explore all that could be explored? That would brand Narnia, and Aslan, as fearful and scared.

Zealots however, sometimes receive undue criticism for lack of mercy and an inability to connect with the common man. Perhaps there is truth to that, but both Elijah and Reepicheep show mercy and understanding to those in need. 

More in our next post.

Gaiety and Valiance

Lucy, though grownup at the end of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, remains “gay and goldenhaired,” and is thus called Queen Lucy the Valiant. Therefore, if are to understand valiance in the character of Lucy, we must first define “gay.” 

Lewis uses the word “gay” 16 times in the Chronicles (and the word "gaiety" once). Six of those times are in The Silver Chair upon Puddleglum, Eustace, and Jill's discovery that the giants plan to eat them. Puddleglum directs the children to act “gay,” and gives us something of a definition: “Gay. As if we hadn't a care in the world.” Of course, as Lewis notes, Puddleglum, and Marsh-wiggles in general, are absolutely horrid at acting gay. In fact, they may be the exact opposite of "gay" given that Marsh-wiggles always expect the worst and act in direct opposition of carefree. 

Three times gay is used in the context of clothes. Perhaps clothes can also be carefree, but it’s difficult to imagine that Aravis, for example, when trying to trick her father into thinking how happy she was being engaged to Ahoshta, put on “her most carefree clothes.” Rather gay in this context presumably means the brightest, fanciest, and most merry clothes. This definition does not contradict the previous one, rather it explains that forces us to redefine carefree. Carefree does not mean not caring, but it means having an affectation of not caring because one is cheerful and optimistic. 

In Prince Caspian, the word gay is twice used with respect to flora: the rowans surrounding Aslan when he awakens the trees are called gay, and the hedges that Bacchus causes to sprout moments before they take down the bridge in Beruna are "gay with hawthorns." Both of these flora are colorful and bright and it would appear that “gay” here is used in the same way as with respect to clothes. 

Lewis also uses the word gay to describe wind (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and sound (The Horse and His Boy). The ship in the picture on the wall of Aunt Alberta’s back room (which becomes the Dawn Treader) runs before a “gay wind,” and King Lune’s hunting horn is “gay and merry.” In both of these cases the items in question presumably cause gaiety: the ship appears joyful as it sails along the waves, and the hunt is done with festivities and merriment. 

The final two occasions of the use of the description “gay” are connected with two of Narnia’s most important characters. Reepicheep, the most valiant of all beasts, is introduced as “a gay and martial mouse.” Finally, when Aslan reveals himself to Shasta in the Horse and His Boy he says “Myself,” in a voice that is “loud and clear and gay.” 

As a whole these examples suggest that “gay,” as used by Lewis in the Chronicles, means joyous, optimistic, and ready to face the future. Yet, this should not be conflated with frivolous or without seriousness (though Puddlieglum and the children likely tried to behave that in that way before the giants). After all, one would certainly not characterize Reepicheep, let alone Aslan himself, as frivolous. 

Lucy’s gaiety is what makes her so attractive to princes who value joy over graciousness, and optimism over courtliness. It is what made her so charming in the eyes of the people who saw gold in her hair. And it is what made her so beloved to Aslan in whom she placed the complete faith and devotion of a young child for a parent. 

However, “gay” alone is insufficient to characterize valiant. We see this because the two terms are also contrasted. The sound of the trumpets before King Edmund’s army on their its way to defend King Lune was “not huge and solemn like the horns of Tashbaan nor gay and merry like King Lune's hunting horn, but clear and sharp and valiant.” From this it appears that valiance has an aspect of sharpness, perhaps immediacy, that is lacking in gaiety. 

We will examine this further in our next post. 

Post-Holiday Post

A little flat and dreary after all they had been through, but also, unexpectedly, nice in its own way…

The end of the “Jewish Holiday Season” is always one of mixed emotions. One the one hand, we are ready to get back to normal. But, on the other hand, saddened that we have another whole year before the time returns. I feel, perhaps, a bit like the Pevensie children do upon their second return from Narnia as described above. Let me try to elaborate.

Our anticipation for the coming Days of Awe begins in the Jewish month of Elul, a full month before the Jewish New Year. At that time the shofar begins to be sounded daily, awakening us to the upcoming Day of Judgement, Rosh HaShana. Rosh HaShana itself is a day of dread, but also of joy. We rejoice that we have the merit to crown God as our King, yet dread His judgement we then accept upon ourselves. The blowing of the shofar on Rosh HaShana encompasses both themes. It is our trumpet signifying the coronation of God, and the final wake up call to be judged.

The following days, from Rosh HaShana to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, are those during which God is close and is found as in the verse (Isaiah 55:6), "Seek God while He can be found, call to Him while He is near." These days are a time when repentance and prayer will more likely be accepted.

Yom Kippur is then the climax of this journey. We attempt to divorce ourselves from all that is material, eating, drinking and the like, to concentrate on our spiritual well-being, assured that God is with us and will look favorably upon us.

The shofar blast at the end of Yom Kippur is our way of saluting God as He ascends back to the Heavens. His presence is no longer near, we return to normal human existence, and the evening service after His departure is, for me, the saddest of the year. 

But, the holidays are not over. Agriculturally, we have now entered the harvest season and to counterbalance the possible arrogance that may arise when we see our bountiful harvest, we spend the holiday of Sukkot outside of our houses, in temporary shelters. However, these shelters also represent the Clouds of Glory that surrounded the Jews in their wanderings in the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land. They are a conduit to Heaven reminding us that, though He may have returned to His Heavenly abode, we can leave the confines of our routine existence and follow Him there. 

Then the holidays are really over. Winter is fast approaching. Kids return to school and adults to work. All of the tasks we’ve been pushing off until “after the Holidays” now need our attention. Perhaps we refocus away for the great spiritual heights we hoped to reach under the influence of the holidays. Instead we turn to the dull, mundane tasks of everyday life. 

Yet, the “normal” world is nice in its own way. There are positive goals to accomplish, and constructive aims to fulfill. There are people to help and an imperfect world to improve. Hopefully, we have been influenced by our holiday experiences to transform even mundane tasks into spiritual opportunities. And though His presence is no longer on Earth, perhaps what we have learned will allow us to see Him more clearly in our normal (hopefully spiritually improved) routine. 

The Pevensies, Aslan explains at the end of Voyage of the Dawn Treader, were brought to Narnia to know Aslan better in their own world:  “This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there." And so too with us. Every year God allows us to get a glimpse of His glory, in hopes that we will use that experience to know Him better even as we enter the cold and darkness of winter. 

     

The Sound of Silence

Searching YouTube earlier today for Hanukah songs by the Maccabeats, I came across their moving rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s classic “The Sound of Silence,” starring and presented by Jew in the City. What makes this rendition unique is the contrast of the “Sound of Silence” with the beauty of the Jewish Sabbath. The take home message is clear, there is a wall of silence modern man builds around himself with his devices and ‘social networks.’ This limits, maybe even erases, true communication between man and his fellow, even with his own family. The Jewish Sabbath, during which the use of electronic devices is outlawed, breaks down the wall of silence and supports building bonds between spouses and family members.

Hearing the song reminded me of our discussion of a few weeks ago on Narnian Astronomy. In that post we characterized the music of the spheres as praises of God played by the Heavenly orbs as they follow His laws of physics. Even a prophet of the stature of Joshua cannot command the spheres to silence their music without singing God’s praises in their stead. Silencing the praise of God, is not permissible. The negative aspect of silence in Simon and Garfunkel's song builds a wall that will block the music of the spheres thus causing a lapse in the praise of God. This encouraged me to think more generally about the roles of silence and noise in the Chronicles of Narnia and other works of C.S. Lewis. That got me thinking about how Judaism portrays these phenomena. Below (and subsequent posts) is an attempt to piece together what that may look like.

Lewis’ most evocative statement on silence in the Chronicles of Narnia is found in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The most dangerous of the islands visited by the ship the Dawn Treader and her crew, is the Dark Island. The Dark Island, as they are soon to learn, is the island where dreams (not daydreams, dreams) come true. As the Dawn Treader attempts to row away and escape the island, we are told that, “Though the rowing made a good deal of noise it did not quite conceal the total silence which surrounded the ship.” The silence of the island and its surroundings is foreboding, even threatening. It is waiting to be filled, with each man’s dreams. Those dreams, the ones we wake up from sweating and scared, the ones that will not allow us to fall back asleep. The ones against which we use whatever distractions we can in hopes of drowning them out of our thoughts. Those dreams are lurking behind the silence, menacing at the passengers on the Dawn Treader. And, however hard the crew tries to concentrate on the rowing, the only noise at their disposal, it is insufficient to block out the silence.

Yet, in another part of the Chronicles, silence is imperative for religious contemplation and realization of truth. Edmund, for instance, in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, needed silence to internalize the truth of Aslan’s good and the Witch’s evil. After separating from his siblings and seeking solace in the house of the White Witch, Edmund is forced to ride with her in attempt to capture his siblings. It is during that ride that winter which has for so long gripped Narnia, miraculously and suddenly begins to transform into Spring. This causes a thaw, making it almost impossible for the reindeer to pull the sleigh. The Witch's dwarf, who is attempting to drive the reindeer in the melting snow, resorts to whipping and shouting, but eventually the sleigh is stuck fast. When that realization hits, for one moment there was silence. “In that silence Edmund could at last listen to the other noise properly.” Until that point Edmund hears and sees spring all around him but cannot internalize its true meaning. Only in the moment of silence can Edmund hear the truth.

This positive aspect of contemplative silence is also addressed by Lewis in the Screwtape Letters. Right at the beginning, in Letter 1, Screwtape, an important tempter of humans, tells of a "patient" of his who, while reading quietly in the British Museum, started rethinking his atheist beliefs. There, in the silence of the library Screwtape suddenly saw his hard work begin to topple. In the silence, the man was beginning to contemplate God, he was beginning to internalize the truth! A possible counter for Screwtape would have been to argue intellectually and philosophically against the existence of God. However, there was a much easier way - remove the silence! So, he suggested that it was time for lunch, leading the man back to “real life” and away from the silence. This convinced the patient that, “whatever odd ideas might come into a man’s head when he was shut up alone with his books, a healthy dose of ‘real life’ (by which he meant the bus and the newsboy) was enough to show him that all ‘that sort of thing’ just couldn’t be true.” In fact, ‘real life’ was the distraction, what is truly important can only be heard in silence.

Lewis returns to this theme even more explicitly in Letter 22. Wormwood’s patient has fallen in love with a Christian woman and her home and garden are Heavenly in that they are, “regions where there is only life and therefore all that is not music is silence.” Screwtape, of course, wants none of that! “Music and silence — how I detest them both! How thankful we should be that ever since our father entered hell... all has been occupied by noise…”

For Lewis then, silence operates on two planes, one negative, one positive. (1) Silence relaying absence, the passengers on the Dawn Treader hear silence and are dreading what is missing. (2) Silence as a means of hearing something else, Edmund only heard Spring when silence reigned. 

The litmus test of silence is the music of the spheres. Man should always hear the praise of God, the music of the spheres. Sometimes, however, the music can be drowned out by noise, the distractions of the trivialities of everyday life. Sometimes the music can be overcome by silence, when a wall is built separating man from God. Such a silence is terrifying. What fills the silence in place of the music of the spheres?