Learning of Love

א-ה-ב

alef-heh-vet

If he hadn’t been told of love, he would never have considered loving,” observed French philosopher Blaise Pascal. Whether love does come naturally or is an acquired trait, the Torah uses the root א-ה-ב (alef, heh, vet), love, to command the love of both God and humankind. On  the one hand we are instructed וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת ה' אֶלוֹקֶיךָ (ve-ahavta et hashem elokekha), “Love the Lord, your God,” and on the other

וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ

(ve-ahavta le-rei'akha kamokha), “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

The Bible is generously seasoned with words of love that sometimes lead to dramatic scenes. Abraham is told to take the son אֲשֶׁר אָהַבְתָּ (asher ahavta), “whom you love,” Isaac, and sacrifice him. Joseph’s sojourn in Egypt comes about becauseוְיִשְׂרָאֵל אָהַב אֶת יוֹסֵף (ve-yisra'el ahav et yosef), “Jacob loved Joseph,” more than his other sons. Proverbs warns its young acolyte melodramatically to beware of the woman who entices him with the phrase נִתְעַלְּסָה בָּאֳהָבִים (nitalsa ba-ahavim), “Let us couple in amorous embrace.”

Biblical love is nevertheless often spiritual, especially in the story of Jonathan and David, whose relationship, David insists, surpasses אַהֲבַת נָשִׁים (ahavat nashim), the love of women. The Psalmist chants of his love of God, while Song of Songs sings another tune, as the beloved speaks of being אַהֲבָה חוֹלַת (holat ahava), lovesick.

The rabbis explain the suffering of the righteous with a concept called יִסּוּרִים שֶׁל אַהֲבָה (yisurim shel ahava), afflictions of love, i.e., suffering in this world to suffer less in the world to come. They also recognize God’s love for humanity in אַהֲבָה רַבָּה (ahava rabba), great love.

The title of A.B. Yehoshua’s first novel is הַמְּאַהֵב (ha-me'ahev), The Lover, and אַהֲבָה (ahava) is a four-letter square sculpture by Robert Indiana at the Israel Museum. Eliezer Ben-Yehuda got into the act when he coined the word אֲהַבְהָבִים (ahavhavim), flirting, based on our root. Ruth Almagor Ramon, author of Rega Shel Ivrit on Hebrew usage, uses our root to teach a lesson in studied ambiguity. The two-noun construction אַהֲבַת הוֹרִים (ahavat horim) can be either parent’s love for children or children’s love for parents. Using our root and the same two-noun construction, Ramon comes up with an adjectival phrase, אַהֲבַת נֶפֶשׁ (ahavat nefesh), profound love.

The question remains: Is love a learned condition? To some, אַהֲבַת הַבְּרִיוֹת (ahavat ha-beriyot), love of humankind, does come naturally. To others, learning the Hebrew word for love is sufficient.

Shewayah Shewayah

א-ט-ט

alef-tet-tet

Despite the ever-increasing demand these days for “fast, faster and fastest,” there are still a few relaxed folks who like to take their time. If you can’t imagine where these people might be found, take a tour of the Mediterranean basin, where you will hear: Italian piano piano; Greek siga siga; Turkish yavash yavash; Arabic shewayeh shewayeh; and one of many Hebrew idioms for “take it easy,” לְאַט לְאַט (le'at le'at), slowly slowly.

Some linguists conjecture that the root from which le'at derives, א-ט-ט (alef, tet, tet), was used by Isaiah in the word אִטִּים (ittim), referring to sorcerers who would mutter soft, slow and moaning sounds. Isaiah also records that the waters of Shiloah הוֹלְכִים לְאַט (holkhim le'at), “flow gently.” When Elijah rebukes King Ahab for his crimes, the sinner demonstrates his repentance by becoming אַט (at), “subdued.” One of the “comforters” of Job rebukes him with the question ?וְדָבָר לָאַט עִמָּךְ (ve-davar la'at immakh), “Are you privy to [cosmic] secrets?” Possibly the most touching use of the root in Scripture is ascribed to King David. Fearful of the fate of his rebellious son Absalom, David pleads, לְאַט לִי לַנַּעַר (le'at li la-na'ar), “For my sake deal gently with the lad.” In a decidedly ungentle episode in the Book of Judges, Yael approaches the enemy warrior Sisera בַּלָּאט (ba-la'at), “in secret,” the more efficiently to slay him.

The poet Hayyim Nahman Bialik plays musically on the similarity of sound between עֵת (et), time, and אֵט (et), slow, saying, הַהוֹלֵךְ לְאִטּוֹ יָבוֹא בְּעִתּוֹ (ha-holekh le-itto yavo be-itto), “He who goes slowly comes on time.” We can all agree that at times טַחֲנוֹת הַצֶּדֶק טוֹחֲנוֹת לְאַט (tahanot ha-tsedek tohanot le'at), “The mills of justice grind slowly.” In Israel today you may hold up your hand, palm out, and say !לְאַט לְךָ (le'at lekha), “Take it easy!” Arik Einstein’s popular song סַע לְאַט (sa le'at), “Drive Slowly,” was adapted by Israel’s Pizza Hut as an advertising slogan, סַע לַהַאט (sa la-hat), Drive to the Hut. Avraham Hefner’s groundbreaking 1967 short film לְאַט יוֹתֵר (le'at yoter), Slow Down!, was adapted from a story by Simone de Beauvoir.

Driving in Israel, you’ll probably encounter our root on road signs warning, מַחְסוֹם לְפָנֶיךָ !הָאֵט (ha'et mahsom lefanekha), Slow Down! Barrier Ahead. A sign in a residential neighborhood may inform you of the פַּסֵּי הֶאָטָה (passei he'atah), Speed Bumps. Then there is the dietary ditty: אֱכוֹל מְעַט, אֱכָוֹל לְאַט (ekhol me'at ekhol le'at), Eat little, eat slowly. Of course, for those who require a break from their fast-paced lives, a most congenial suggestion might beלְאַט אֲבָל בָּטוּחַ (le'at aval batu'ah), slowly but surely.

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Learning of Love

Shewayah Shewayah