temp94
Fermentation of the Soul
My brother Jimmy recently took on a new hobby: making beer. He mail-ordered one of those do-it-yourself kits. Within a few short months, the first run of his brew became available. It was awful. However, after a couple of years, he had come up with a very tasty variety. I always look forward to sampling it when I go back East.
Admirable — at Times
Fermentation, or chametz, is a process that requires a great deal of patience and a carefully calibrated set of conditions. Such qualities are admirable in most people at most times. But there are times when we are called upon to spring to action. In fact, the fermentation process in sub-optimum conditions can be more than unhelpful. It can be noxious. Was such the case among the Israelites while slaves in Egypt? The record is mixed. The Midrash (classical rabbinic literature interpreting scripture) points out that 80 percent of Israelites perished from the 9th of the 10 plagues, darkness. Not only was there no light in their dwellings, there was palpable darkness, rendering them utterly immobile.
Admirable — at Times
Fermentation, or chametz, is a process that requires a great deal of patience and a carefully calibrated set of conditions. Such qualities are admirable in most people at most times. But there are times when we are called upon to spring to action. In fact, the fermentation process in sub-optimum conditions can be more than unhelpful. It can be noxious. Was such the case among the Israelites while slaves in Egypt? The record is mixed. The Midrash (classical rabbinic literature interpreting scripture) points out that 80 percent of Israelites perished from the 9th of the 10 plagues, darkness. Not only was there no light in their dwellings, there was palpable darkness, rendering them utterly immobile.
