Embedded in the most dry and technical concerns, we sometimes uncover an eruption of light that can break through the smothering darkness. In our lives, in our sacred writings, and in the innermost chambers of our souls we can uncover these sparks of light, warmth, and hope.
Consider the ancient rabbinic discussion of the laws of purity and impurity. The question at hand—itself brittle and dry—is about the kind of vessels that should be used to carry sacrificial material. Zevahim 88a (Mishnah) opens with a simple assertion: “The vessels for liquids sanctify liquids, and the measures for dry matter sanctify dry matter. A liquid vessel does not sanctify dry matter, nor does a dry [measure] sanctify a liquid.” Dry works for dry; wet works with wet. This is the way the world appears when we are despondent—bad things happen to me, good things happen to someone else. Why does...
