Reading Corner
"The Web and The Bite", from Into The Ark by Berman and Picker
Often we wonder what the purpose could be of some creatures like a mosquito or spider! Just like you, David — who later became King of Israel — found it hard to imagine the spider’s purpose until something special happened...
One day before he became King of Israel, David sat in his garden and saw a wasp swallow a spider. David wondered at this act and said to the Holy One, Blessed Be He: “Creator of the Universe, for what reason did you create these creatures when you made the world? The wasp gives no honey, and she is ugly to look at. The spider weaves her web all day, but we can make no garments out of her cobwebs.”
God answered him: “David, you must not mock or ridicule any of My creatures. A time will come when you yourself will recognize that each one has a place and a use.”
Not long afterwards, King Saul grew angry at his former favorite, David, and he went after him with his army, intending to capture David and kill him. David fled and hid in a dark cave. As David was lying in fear within the cave, God sent a spider to the narrow opening of the mouth of the cave. There the spider spun a thick web which covered the entire outside opening.
Saul and his men were searching for David in that very same area, and they suspected that David might be lying hidden in that cave. When Saul saw the spiderweb covering the opening of the cave, David heard him say to his men: “David cannot be in there. If David had entered this cave he would have torn the spiderweb to tatters. Let’s hurry and search somewhere else, for he is surely nearby.” So he and his soldiers went searching elsewhere, and David breathed easily again.
When Saul was safely gone, David crept out of the cave, caressing the little spider. David said to the spider “Blessed are you, and blessed be your Maker.”
Jewish Juggling! Who Knew?
Did you know juggling goes back to biblical times? Most of us think it is a modern discovery, invented by Barnum and Bailey or by street performers. It turns out there are references to juggling in a number of early Jewish sources. In the Mishnah (Tractate Sukkah) we learn that “pious and prominent men used to dance with burning torches in their hands before the thousands of celebrants; they sang before them songs and praises to God. “ The Mishnah is describing the celebrations at the Temple in Jerusalem during Sukkot. The great commentator Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki) wrote: “They would throw them high and catch them. Some were expert with four, some with eight. They would continually throw and catch, throw and catch.” So it seems juggling was considered an integral part of Jewish celebrations even in ancient times.
On the internet there is a website: www.juggling.org/~jews/ dedicated to Jewish jugglers. It provides articles on the ancient Jewish history of jugglers as well as information on great occasions for juggling and special tricks for Jewish jugglers. There is information about Jewish juggling tricks, juggling in Israel, Jewish occasions to juggle and links to related information. Who knew?!
