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On The Bookshelf
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With his new translation
of the "Book of Ecclesiastes,"
Rabbi Rami Shapiro
finds new meaning for
the modern age in
the words of an ancient sage.
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"Solomon was a com-
plex character," said Rabbi
Rami Shapiro, the author of a new
book about the ancient philosopher
king. "The reason that the Book of
Ecclesiastes is so compelling is that it's
so rich with paradoxes.
"[Solomon] exploited every sensual
pl6sure imaginable — and still found
no lasting joy. Why? Because nothing
lasts."
The book, titled The Way of
Shapiro's love of the Torah with a dol-
lop of mystical Judaism and a hint of
Zen Buddhism.
"Ecclesiastes has been historically
misrepresented as a downer," Shapiro
said, "when in fact it's a fundamentally
optimistic piece of work. If only people
realized that, I think it would be much
more well read than it currently is."
Yet it's neither optimism nor pes-
simism that underlies the rabbi's
philosophies and writing.
It's the concept, attributed to
Solomon, that "this too shall soon
pass." (Although some scholars dis-
agree about his authorship, Solomon
is traditionally associated with the
Solomon: Finding Joy and Contentment
in the Wisdom of Ecclesiastes
(HarperSanFrancisco; $18), blends
Book of Ecclesiastes.)
"I think there are some definite
Buddhist corollaries in Solomon's teach-
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FINDING flu AND
RAMS SHANRO
JOSHUA BRANDT
Jewish Bulletin of Northern California
The first question that authors of
books like The Congressional Minyan:
The Jews of Capitol Hill (Ktav
Publishing Co.; $59) need to ask is:
Who is a Jew?
Author Kurt Stone, who compiled
this collection of 179 short biogra-
phies of Jews who have been members
of the Senate and House of
Representatives, asks the question. He
provides the halachic response ("any-
one born of a Jewish mother or con-
verted according to clearly-delineated
rites and rituals"), notes that "liberal
Jews" have tried to expand that defini-
tion and the brouhaha that surrounds
The author
positions
Solomon as
a realist with
the instincts
of a Zen master.
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The Wisdom Of Solomon
that effort, and then promptly decides
to follow his own muse.
When his mentor, Dr. Jacob Rader
Marcus, the founder of the American
Jewish Archives, "declared someone
`Jewish enough' to be included in his
American Jewish Biography, his stu-
dents listened," Stone, a rabbi, actor
and medical ethicist, writes. "The
author [of this work] gladly obeys his
mentor's dictate."
This rather bizarre decision results
in the inclusion of rather "offbeat
Jews,''_ some dating back to 1849.
For example, we have Barry
Goldwater (the late U.S. senator from
Arizona and Republican candidate for
president in 1964) and William
Cohen (former GOP senator from
Maine and current defense secretary),
neither born to a Jewish mother and
by
Rabbi Rami Shapiro:
"'Ecclesiastes' teaches us
to live only in the present,
and to realize that it our
insistence on permanence
that is the source of all
our unnecessary fear
and suffering."
ings," Shapiro said, offering a new trans-
lation of the traditional text. "Ecclesiastes
teaches us to live only in the present, and
to realize that it's our insistence on per-
manence that is the source of all our
unnecessary fear and suffering."
In the book, Shapiro cites the
example of a man who is anxious over
delivering a business speech.
Realizing that he has a great corn-
mand of his subject, excitement
replaces anxiety. On the way to work,
however, he hears a song that reminds
him of an old flame and he becomes
sad. Shortly thereafter, he is almost
shoved off the road by a big rig.
The man once again finds himself
in a state of anxiety.
"We are entirely too reliant on wal-
lowing in and prolonging emotions, be
both practicing Christians, at least in
later life.
Many of the people "so lacking in
Judaism, they don't even know they're
Jewish, may be motivated by Jewish
values not necessarily knowing it,"
noted Stone, speaking during the
American Jewish Press Association
conference this summer.
Stone also recalled that he had asked
Goldwater (whose family name was
Goldwasser) if he wanted to be includ-
ed in the book. The senator told him
yes, "if for no other reason than the
Goldwassers would be proud of me."
But, Goldwater also told the
author, he couldn't be Jewish because
he was "too conservative" and "not
smart enough."
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