Musings on Midrash and Narnia

The Jewish canon includes many works of midrashic literature composed of sayings of the Sages on the bible. Some midrashim are halakhic, deriving law from the nuances of the biblical text. Others are aggadic, analyzing and amplifying the stories and sayings of the bible. A characteristic of the midrash is to tell stories, some fantastical, about biblical figures. Some of the most famous of this genre are the story of Abraham destroying the idols in his father's shop and subsequently being thrown into the fiery furnace by the evil King Nimrod. Another is the argument that broke out amongst the mountains concerning upon which God should give the Torah to the Jewish people. Much ink has been spilled about whether these stories are "true." In my humble opinion they are all true, they are imbued with religious themes and teach morality and ethics, but they may not record historic fact.   

At the behest of my kids, I have been reading "The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel," and, yesterday, I started thinking again about stories and specifically children's stories. I tend to enjoy books and movies geared for middle-school aged children and teenagers. Perhaps it's just that I don't want to grow up. Or perhaps I don't want to lose the wonder, joy, and dreams endemic of childhood (as we discuss here).

All properly raised children (as opposed to the likes of Eustace Clarence Scrubb) dream of magic and riches  - finding a world behind a wardrobe and being crowned king, or discovering they have a silver aura making them the fulcrum of human history. As we grow older, we enter the "real world" and accept that these things are not going to happen... 

And by doing so we render a disservice to children. Of course no child will be visited by a giant who tells them they are a wizard, but every child can become a savior. And while no one has neighbors who are actually celestial beings fighting against the darkness of IT, every child can become a champion of goodness. 

As we analyze the Chronicles we have noted the fundamental religious and moral themes that Lewis has incorporated into the stories. This makes the Chronicles true despite their actual impossibility. 

Or maybe I've just watched too many Disney movies... 

Narnian Ba'alei Teshuva: Edmund (Part 3)

Edmund himself initiates his process of repentance. True he does so only when having found himself in a much worse scenario than he had expected. He had assumed he would be welcomed by the Queen of Narnia a son, but instead was worked as a slave. Certainly this situational repentance does not fit Maimonides' definition of a full repentant: one who finds himself in the exact situation of when he sinned and this time chooses against sin. Nonetheless, that first opening is vital as it allows God to expand His presence in a person's heart, as explained in the midrash in the name of R' Yassa:  

The Holy One Blessed be He said to Israel, my sons! Open to me in repentance even a doorway like the eye of a needle and I will open to you doorways that even wagons and carriages can pass through.

Summarizing, God promises that if one is willing to open their hearts to repentance even by the smallest of amounts, He will open their hearts the rest of the way. Edmund opened his heart slightly. First, he felt bad only for himself, but that emotion led him to differentiate between good (his siblings) and evil (the White Witch). Having identified evil, he began to sympathize, perhaps even empathize with the poor animals turned to stone by the White Witch. Finally, Aslan brings him the rest of the way,  to become a true repentant. 

Having achieved a full turnaround it is indeed not necessary for others to talk to Edmund about his past. This too is famously codified by Maimonides: 

It is, nevertheless, a grievous sin to say to the penitent: "Remember your erstwhile conduct", or to remind them in his presence so as to put him to shame, or to mention things and subjects similar to them so as to remind him of what he did.

Nonetheless, repentance of sins between man and his fellow is not achieved by talking even to God Himself. One must confront the person he sinned against and ask for forgiveness (Maimonides, Hilkhot Teshuva 2:9). Hence, despite Edmund's achievement of repentance and Aslan's assertion that there is no need to talk of the past, that is only with respect to the sins against Aslan. However, Edmund must still seek forgiveness from his sibling who he betrayed.  

This also allows us to understand when Aslan himself brings up Edmund's past, urging Lucy to go on and heal others by rebuking, "Must more people die for Edmund?" Aslan himself does not hold a grudge having accepted Edmund's repentance completely. However, Edmund still owes an apology and must ask for forgiveness from each individual whose life was lost, or even made more difficult, due to his treacherous actions.  

Can Edmund ever hope to achieve such forgiveness? How can one who directly harms hundreds or thousands of unnamed individuals find every single one of them and beg for absolution his sin? The answer, of course, is that he cannot. Yet, perhaps there is another way. One who has harmed a society can, achieve repentance by improving that society. Hence, Edmund becomes King Edmund the Just, "great in council and judgement." In this way, by contributing to society and to any part of society who approaches him, can Edmund achieve full repentance.  

Narnian Ba'alei Teshuva: Edmund (Part 2)

In our last post, we listed a few questions with respect to the repentance experienced by Edmund and suggested that perhaps a Jewish perspective on teshuva would help us interpret the story. In this post, we start that interpretation.

The Talmud (Pesachim 54a) tells us that there are seven ideas or concepts that precede Creation. These are: Torah, Repentance (Teshuva), the Garden of Eden, Hell, God’s Throne of Honor, the Temple and the name of the Messiah. All of these are integral to God’s plan for the universe. A universe in which humans have guidance from God but free will enables reward and punishment. However, none of these concepts arise from cosmology and the laws of nature.

The White Witch understood the laws of nature. Not just the physical laws, but she also understood the principles of sociology and civilization. A traitor, one who rebels against his master or his clan, must be expelled. What other option is there? How could anyone look such a person in the eye and again accept him as a fellow? How could a civilization take the risk of not punishing such a breach?

God, however, peers back before Creation where He has formulated the concept of repentance, teshuva. A regretted action can be nullified and the breach can be repaired as if it never occurred. The Stone Table, the tablets on which the laws of nature are recorded, cracks under the divine mandate: man’s ability to violate the arrow of time, to go back and erase an action.

Edmund experienced all of this. His sin was wiped away so thoroughly that he did not even comprehend that the discussion of the traitor centered on him. But he clearly had help: he was saved from the clutches of the White Witch by Aslan’s search and rescue party and was then brought to understanding via a conversation with Aslan himself. However, this too has its sources in Jewish lore as we will discuss in our next.

Narnian Ba'alei Teshuva: Edmund

The first character in the Chronicles to experience spiritual renewal is Edmund. Having been saved from the White Witch and after a talk with Aslan, Edmund utterly rejected his former ways so much so that Aslan asserted, there was no further need to talk about the past. 

Yet, the unmerciful, non-spiritual, world is not so easily appeased. The White Witch demands that Edmund be killed as a traitor, and, by law, she is correct. One who has sinned cannot escape justice and punishment simply due to a change of heart. Only because the White Witch is willing to accept a replacement is Edmund saved. The trade, of course, is for Aslan himself and his subsequent murder is clearly symbolic of the Christian worldview that the death of God’s Son achieves Grace for humanity. For it is only through this willing sacrifice that man can rise from the carnal and achieve salvation.

Edmund himself recognizes the truth of this and later describes Aslan to Eustace saying, “He is the great Lion, the son of the Emperor-beyond-the-Sea, who saved me and saved Narnia.” 

There are, however, some points to note: 

1. Though salvation only comes to Edmund due to the sacrifice of Aslan, Edmund himself already showed signs of remorse before this. Upon reaching the palace of the White Witch and having betrayed his siblings, Edmund is finally confronted with the true evil of the White Witch. He is filled with remorse, and looks back at his former actions as the lie that they truly are. Would Aslan have saved Edmund without this penitence? Would the sacrifice have been made for one not worthy of Grace?

2. Despite Aslan’s statement that there is no need to talk to Edmund about the past, Edmund apologizes to all of his siblings, and his apology is accepted. Is this part of achieving Grace or simply an act of politeness? 

3. Aslan pressures Lucy into visiting others of the wounded by rhetorically asking, “Must more people die for Edmund?” This clearly invokes the past even though there is no need to speak to Edmund about it. 

4. Edmund grows up to become King Edmund the Just, “great in council and judgement.” How much of this growth can be attributed to his experience as a traitor and a returnee?

While not able to address all of these issues, perhaps the Jewish view of teshuva, repentance, can shed light on the salvation of Edmund.

Narnian Ba'alei Teshuva

My apologies for not posting recently as it's been a busy summer. 

Some quick topics for discussion as we approach the Days of Awe with their emphasis on teshuva (returning to worship of God and the fulfillment of his commandments). The Chronicles of Narnia feature many ba'alei teshuva (those experience this spiritual renewal): main characters such as Edmund, Trumpkin, Eustace, Shasta, and Aravis, and more minor characters like Puzzle and the lapsed bear of Stormness. Each comes with a different story and each can teach us something about renewing our relationship with God. 

How to their stories differ, how are they the same?

What can we learn from each story? 

What role (if any) does Aslan play in each return? 

Think about it, we'll discuss soon.  

The Role of the Zealot

The zealot serves as a beacon of idealism and an activist for a cause. From the perspective of the zealot, compromise, consideration of counterviews, even a moment of hesitancy is a sign of weakness or non-belief. Thus, Elijah can declare to Ahab the King of Israel without discussion and without negotiations (Kings 1 17:1): by the life of God that there will be no rain, but on my word.

However, the role of the zealot is a precarious one. The danger of being entrapped by the snare of hypocrisy is immense and the greater the zeal the more devastating any non idealistic demonstration. To live as a zealot is to live on the point of a very sharp sword for rare indeed is the man who can live up to his own ideals. A true zealot, however, can serve as an inspiration in the face of gloom, a beacon of light in the midst of darkness, and a reservoir of hope when all appears lost.

Hence the prominence of Elijah in Jewish lore. He was the greatest of zealots for he lived up to his own ideals. So much so, that when it appeared that he failed, that despite famine and miracles, he was unable to convince the Jews to repent from their evil ways, he asked God for death. While such a request is anathema to Jewish law and culture, Elijah’s particular situation is understandable. His goal was clear, his method uncompromising, and when faced with failure, he put the ideal, not himself, first, and judged himself just as harshly as he would have anyone else.

Reepicheep too displays this sort of zealotry. When Eustace first joins the expedition of the Dawn Treader, Reepicheep offers him no grace or mercy. Eustace’s understandable surprise at meeting a talking mouse and complete unpreparedness for being on a ship in a fantasyland makes no difference. Yet, despite the importance Reepicheep places in his own honor, Reepicheep puts the honor of Aslan and Narnia first. Hence, when Eustace is lost, he insists that the search must go on, for not doing so would compromise the

The properly placed zealotry of Elijah and Reepicheep is what makes them appropriate representatives to usher in the End of Days. Who was more condemning than Elijah? And thus, who is most unlikely to grant immunity? If Elijah, of all people, were to say the time for redemption there is no doubt it must be so. Similarly, if Reepicheep invited you into the Garden there is no doubt the invitation is deserved.

Transgressions for a Noble Cause

On Shavuos night I spoke in our synagogue on the topic of Aveira Lishma, violating a transgression (an aveira) for a noble purpose. In the class, we discussed some of the parameters of this concept and its philosophical underpinnings. We analyzed a few examples of how and when it has been used in practice by various halakhic decisors and philosophically by the Chassidic masters.

Not surprisingly, this concept is fraught with spiritual danger. R' Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, for example, insists on two rules before transgressing even for an apparently noble purpose. First, the person can have no pleasure whatsoever from the transgression. Second, a sober calculation must be made as to the consequences, the benefits and losses, of this transgression. For example, though it is certainly wrong to start a communal argument, doing so may fall under the rubric of aveira lishma, if done with no malice or hope of gain, and after an analysis reveals that the argument will cause more good than harm (in fact, in a case brought before the R' Moshe Isserles, he allows publicly speaking ill of someone for the greater good of the community).

While I cannot think of a clear example of an aveirah lishma in the Chronicles of Narnia, it is one of C.S. Lewis’ main arguments used by the Devil in Perelandra, the second book of the Space Trilogy, to seduce the Queen to sleep overnight on Fixed Land  Interestingly, this same argument is put into the mouth of the serpent in the Garden of Eden by R' Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (the Devil, played by Weston in Perelandra, is of course, Lewis’ parallel to the serpent who seduces Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge).

Let us go step by step. Ransom, the protagonist of the first of Lewis’ Space Trilogy, “Out of the Silent Planet,” is sent to the young world of Perelandra (what we call Venus) by the Oyarsa (guardian angel) of Malacandra (Mars). There he finds the Queen, the native Eve (Tinidril) living a blissful life on a water planet of floating islands. This Eve awaits her reunion with the King, the native Adam (Tor) and has been commanded by Maledil (God) not to sleep on any fixed land.

It is not long before another Earth native lands on Perelandra. This is Weston, the antagonist of Ransom now clearly under the control of the Devil. Weston attempts to persuade Eve that she should violate the command of Maledil and sleep on the Fixed Land. He argues that though Maledil did command that Eve not sleep on Fixed Land, He did so secretly hoping that Eve would break the command. To sleep on Fixed Land would demonstrate “walking in your own way” and fully growing up:

If He told you to break what He commanded, it would be no true command, as you have seen. For you are right, He makes no jests. A real disobeying, a real branching out, this is what He secretly longs for: secretly, because to tell you would spoil all.

R’ Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (1843 - 1926) interprets the serpent’s argument to the (Earthly) Eve in this exact way:

The desire of the Creator is not to refrain from eating from [the Tree]. Rather, His desire is that you should eat from it and in this way come closer to being God-like such that you can overpower evil and destroy it… You should sacrifice both worlds (this and the World-to-Come) in order to achieve the honor of God and become close to Him. This is the path of a transgression for a noble purpose and, your doing so, is the true desire of God.

Of course, on Perelandra Ransom is able to counter the arguments of the Devil and the woman is saved. No such savior appeared in our world.