Yesterday I started our thinking about Lenten practices with some links to a “40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer” and today I want to offer another suggestion.
But first, a word of caution. Please, please, don’t think I am suggesting you take on two, three, five, seven or more Lenten practices. You can buy into too many activities and can’t pay the price in time, or focus for any one of them. I know this from personal experience. Be cautious. Over the next few days I will offer several suggestions and hope you find one that draws you and you give it a try.
So for #2 I want to point you to an online discussion I read about recently.
Englewood Review of Books will be hosting a Lenten Book Conversation on Abraham Joshua Heschel’s book The Sabbath. While I have not yet read this volume of Heschel’s, all I have read of his in the past has been not only well written but profitable.
When I first read of this online discussion a digital copy of the ebook was $1.99, unfortunately the price is now $9.94. While I still recommend the book and discussion, I also recommend waiting to see if the price goes down again. If I see that it goes down, I will post an update.
Before we close today, a few words from Heschel,
Six days a week we wrestle with the world, wringing profit from the earth; on the Sabbath we especially care for the seed of eternity planted in the soul. The world has our hands, but our soul belongs to Someone Else. Six days a week we seek to dominate the world, on the seventh day we try to dominate the self.
Maybe Lent could be, in part, a time for withdrawal from the daily routines to a place of Sabbath rest and … you tell me – what does your soul need?
When I first read Sabbath Heschel, I lived in MA where we still had Blue Laws and businesses and the malls were closed on Sunday and I cherished that peace and quiet.
Then for an “Old Testament” class (I put it in quotes because I think it is kinda Christian chauvinistic to refer to the Hebrew Scriptures, the Tanakh as if their only relevance is their relationship to Christian Scriptures) were assigned this book and I devoured it. I think it should be mandatory for all Christians.
I still have my battered copy and I so wish we could reclaim this Jewish sense of Sabbath instead of scheduling school sports, pro football, open stores, malls, and business.
Oh what a pity I can’t figure out how to sign up for the Heschel discussion.
I didn’t see a way to sign-up either, but I assume on Ash Wednesday we will see more posted on that page.
If I find out anything else, I will let folks know.
Thank you, I appreciate that. That is such a tremendous book.
Here is a link to some more info on the Heschel discussion – expect the first discussion questions to be posted this Thursday, March 7 – and a couple of reading “assignments.”
http://englewoodreview.org/reminder-lenten-book-conversation-a-j-heschels-the-sabbath/
The first discussion questions are up for the Heschel book, Sabbath.
You can read the questions, follow the discussion and post your input at –
http://englewoodreview.org/lenten-book-conversation-part-1-abraham-joshua-heschel-the-sabbath/
Actually, I don’t see the questions.
When I scroll down the page at
http://englewoodreview.org/lenten-book-conversation-part-1-abraham-joshua-heschel-the-sabbath/
under “Introduction” I see 4 questions and under “Prologue” see 3 more then further down the page I see a couple of comments.
Oh they are there now. Thanks.
Now we have the next set of discussion questions online. Check them out and enter the converstation –
http://englewoodreview.org/lenten-book-conversation-part-2-abraham-joshua-heschel-the-sabbath/
Just in case you haven’t kept up – and I have not been of much help lately – Here are the links to more of the discussion of Heschel’s book –
Discussion #3
http://englewoodreview.org/lenten-book-conversation-part-3-abraham-joshua-heschel-the-sabbath/
Discussion #4
http://englewoodreview.org/lenten-book-conversation-part-4-abraham-joshua-heschel-the-sabbath/
Discussion #5
http://englewoodreview.org/lenten-book-conversation-part-5-abraham-joshua-heschel-the-sabbath/
Discussion #6
http://englewoodreview.org/lenten-book-conversation-part-6-abraham-joshua-heschels-the-sabbath/