The Hebrew Strain

Ever since the adopted son of an Egyptian pharoah noticed the mistreatment of his relatives. . . ever since Moses took a stand against pharoah’s enslavement of his relatives. . . ever since he rounded up the Hebrews and led them out of Egypt, declaring to pharoah, “let my people go!” Ever since the Jews descended into the desert, found themselves disorganized and in dire straits, provoking Moses to climb up on the mountain, not knowing what would happen next. Ever since Moses came down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments,

and ever since Moses decided to document those events, along with the earlier events. . . going all the way back to the moment when YWHW moved upon the waters and created the world. . . ever since all that happened and Moses wrote the history, going all the way back to the era before Moses, when YWHW called Abraham from Ur and directed him to a westward place. . . ever since that time, the literate world has been a recipient of that ancient Hebrew strain of stories. Ever since one Hebrew, Jesus Christ was nailed to a cross, setting the stage for resurrection and the assurance of life after death for every person who believes it. . . ever since all those ancient days faded into the past, the documentation of all those amazing events has spread throughout the world like wildfire. When the great majority of western people turned to Christ for guidance, salvation and eternal Life, the Hebrew strain has continued, both branches: the Hebrew strain and the Christian strain. As European empires prospered and expanded over two thousand years, the Hebrew strain continued to prosper, through the ghettos of Europe, through shtetels of the Ukraine and the cities of Europe, stroking out an ancient klesmerish tune while maintaining a delicate balance on the roof of the civilization.

In the midst of a Christianizing European continent, the Jews managed to live and prosper on the sidelines, with their synagogues and temples. Being ignored, or even rejected in the channels of gentile power and authority, they cultivated thrift, developing a talent for handling money and other assets, and a reputation for cunning in the markets of Europe. And so the Hebrew strain prospered and grew, like grape vines bearing fruit from age to age. Jews were known for their prosperity, thriftiness and their tight communities in which they loved and helped each other to an extent that enabled them to overcome the prejudice of gentiles. After the terrible crucible of war—1914-1918—a German magamaniac rounded up a band of nazi thugs an attempted to extinguish the Jews from the earth. But hitler’s demented, demonic project ended in 1945 when the Allied armies put a stop to his murderous third reich holocaust in 1945. After that Allied victory, the Jews who had survived and/or escaped the holocaust continued to prolong the Hebrew strain, with mothers and fathers having children, just like Moses and Sarah in ancient times. A bold cadre of the Jews took it upon themselves to get back to their ancient homeland, thereby establishing the nation of Israel, in 1948. And so we see that the Hebrew strain goes on and on, as it has ever since Moses started documenting it. And so we see that the Hebrew strain goes on and on, as they continue to pray.

Glass half-Full