tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post9092041687450753461..comments2023-09-11T17:58:13.764-04:00Comments on The Rebbetzin's Husband: Michael Jordan and K'naan on RepentanceThe Rebbetzin's Husbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-78890426841950744612012-09-02T21:37:16.717-04:002012-09-02T21:37:16.717-04:00If you believe that human beings have free will, t...If you believe that human beings have free will, then there is nothing in the least arrogant about the idea that, ultimately, it is all in one's own hands. Saying or believing so in no way precludes seeking advice or guidance along the way to reaching the goal; it's merely an acknowledgement that, in the end, knowing the right or necessary thing to do is not the same thing as actually taking the action to do it, and taking that action or not is completely in the hands of the individual. If it were otherwise, the Torah would be a great deal shorter.<br /><br />bratschegirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-28588792299821595822012-08-27T13:11:56.126-04:002012-08-27T13:11:56.126-04:00Shmuel 2-
Yes, that's exactly what I am going ...Shmuel 2-<br />Yes, that's exactly what I am going for. They are wonderful motivational passages. And, to a certain extent, knowing the story of the people behind them does help.The Rebbetzin's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-28083957191010324842012-08-27T13:10:46.038-04:002012-08-27T13:10:46.038-04:00True, Shmuel, but I was answering Daniel's poi...True, Shmuel, but I was answering Daniel's point...The Rebbetzin's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-3520691789041513602012-08-27T12:01:58.841-04:002012-08-27T12:01:58.841-04:00> but all sin is failure.
...at least initiall...> but all sin is failure.<br /><br />...at least initially. But then, like Rav Kook writes, at the most elevated level of teshuva one can look back and see how those particular moments were in fact the loftiest.Shmuelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08623549507370220071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-60312442364560673262012-08-27T10:43:54.880-04:002012-08-27T10:43:54.880-04:00After reading your title and the quotes, I thought...After reading your title and the quotes, I thought to myself, "those are great slogans for Elul (or anytime really, but 'tis the season) that one could tell oneself as part of a strategy that no matter what failures one had in the past, those failures should be viewed as challenges to do better in the future, and success IS possible." So while you are probably right about what they meant by it (you are certainly right that they weren't talking about teshuva as we understand it), whether they are compatible with "traditional Jewish view of repentance" is in my view very much in the eye of the beholder. I say they the quotes themselves are compatible, even if the individuals who said them may not themselves have understood it that way and the quotes themselves don't contain all the necessary information. Maybe that's what you're saying when you say you still like them.Shmuel 2noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-85239106576221644042012-08-26T22:22:40.668-04:002012-08-26T22:22:40.668-04:00Daniel-
1. I like the Beckett quote;
2. Not all fa...Daniel-<br />1. I like the Beckett quote;<br />2. Not all failure is sin, but all sin is failure.<br /><br />Bob, Shmuel-<br />Could be.<br /><br />BR-<br />Do you think they are referring only to athletic failure?The Rebbetzin's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-18970806924893909142012-08-26T18:52:09.091-04:002012-08-26T18:52:09.091-04:00Who says they are referring to Teshuvah? See Pacha...Who says they are referring to Teshuvah? See Pachad Yitzchak letter 128 and his definition of the pasuk "Sheva Yipol Tzadik V'Kam." The fools say Tzadikkim get up even though they fall. R' Hutner explains it that a Tzaddik is made by getting up after stumbling.BRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-52577107943233967472012-08-26T12:39:24.776-04:002012-08-26T12:39:24.776-04:00I think Jordan's quote is just lacking articul...I think Jordan's quote is just lacking articulation, essentially. The implication of his statement is the value of perseverance and developing resiliency.<br /><br />And while Torah authors may not boast or consider themselves successes, they still attribute their current standings to past failures and struggles.Shmuelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08623549507370220071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-45153179239150328032012-08-26T11:08:14.262-04:002012-08-26T11:08:14.262-04:00To me, Jordan's point means "I succeed no...To me, Jordan's point means "I succeed now because I learned from earlier failures." The real implications depend on what he learned!Bob Millernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-10073173419628171912012-08-26T08:16:41.351-04:002012-08-26T08:16:41.351-04:00I don't think that all failure is sin, althoug...I don't think that all failure is sin, although there is still a message there that we can do anything.<br /><br />I prefer the less optimistic/more realistic quote from Samuel Beckett: "Ever tried? Ever failed? Fail again. Fail better."Daniel Saundershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07087956908558706584noreply@blogger.com