30 March 2007

A peculiar outrage and Dayenu

Reading this peculiar article by one Ronan Bennett, I cannot help but think about an ancient song which is one of the most beloved songs of the Passover celebration ritual. It is called Dayenu, which could be loosely translated as "it would have been enough". The explanation of the song here says:
"It", in the Passover story, represents each favor that G-d created to help free the Hebrews from slavery. This song is essentially a song of thanks and gratitude to G-d, where its message is saying: "If G-d did a simple favor for us and didn't do anything else, it would have been sufficient", even if granting more favors would have helped the Hebrews to escape slavery sooner, or helped contribute to less suffering. The main point of the song is to recognize and be grateful for even the simplest of favors from another.
So, the adults and the children play it out this way: the grown up asks (or, rather, sings out) the question:

"Had God taken us out of Egypt, without bringing judgments against them--"

"Dayenu!" sing the children.

"Had God brought us into the Land of Israel, without building the sanctuary for us--"

"Dayenu!" the children shout.

And more and more... Beautiful song, does not sound too good in English, but you get the general idea. So what is the connection to the above article? The author is, probably, into masochism, judging by the fact that he is so lovingly describing various methods of torture and humiliation. He, in effect, recommends that the captured sailors, no matter what is done to them, say "dayenu" for not being subjected to any of the tortures he lists.
Turney may have been "forced to wear the hijab", as the Daily Mail noted with fury, but so far as we know she has not been forced into an orange jumpsuit.
Dayenu!
Her comrades have not been shackled, blindfolded, forced into excruciating physical contortions for long periods, or denied liquids and food.
Dayenu!

Etc. You get the general drift by now, do you?

Anyhow, I am personaly keeping my fingers crossed for the 15 fellows kept in Iran and hope that they will be home before Passover dinner, and will be able to say "dayenu" in their own non-Jewish way.

I also hope, just a bit, being a vengeful Elder and all that, that the fifteen, or some of them, will read the above mentioned article and get their mitts on one Ronan Bennett (two n's and two t's) and beat the holy crap out of him.

Although, come to think of it: how do you beat the crap of a person who is full of it?

Cross-posted on DSTPFW.

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