Spiritual Perspectives

By Avrum Organick
Special to The Independent

This season, the month between the Jewish festivals of Purim and Passover, can be one of sober reflections. The ominous passages of ancient texts reflect the turmoil and the threats of today.

In the book of Esther, read in the synagogues on Purim on March 14th, comes this chilling verse (3:13): "And the letters were sent by the posts into all the king's provinces to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month which is the month of Adar, and to take the spoil of them for prey."

And today, from that same country of Persia, today's Iran, come the angry words of Premier Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that Israel should be "wiped off the face of the map."

On Passover, we are reminded of the passages in the Book of Exodus(14:8-9): "And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharoah king of Egypt and he pursued after the children of Israel... all the horses and chariots of Pharoah and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea."

And today, Ismail Haniyeh, the spokesman for the Hamas majority in the Palestinian elections, states the unyielding position of Hamas that the State of Israel must be destroyed.

Where can we find the physical, moral and spiritual strengths to withstand these threats?

First we must gather the courage to resist at every turn, as did Mordecai in the Book of Esther (3:1-2). "After these things did King Ahasuerus promote Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite and advanced him, and set him above all that were with him. And the King's servants that were in King's gate bowed and reverenced Haman for the King so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not nor did him reverence."

We must speak out, let our voices be heard even in such a forum as this. While doing so, might it be possible to change the mind-set of those bent on Israel's destruction or those bent on similar extinction of other people on this earth? While I wondered whether there be in this generation or the next even the glimmer of such a hope, my thoughts turned to the natural world about me.

In this valley on the Navajo Nation where now I am privileged to live, I have been observing the differences between two families (species) of bluebirds. Quite by coincidence, the bluebird has captured the imagination of people of many cultures as a symbol of hope. The bluebird is mentioned here in the last stanza of the popular ballad:

So keep on looking for the bluebird
And list'ning for its song
Whenever stormy weather
Comes along.

And the Navajos revere the bluebird, doolie, and feature the bluebird in their songs and prayers. This year, a flock of Western Bluebirds became regular visitors at our home, feeding on the berries of our juniper trees and drinking at our water trough. With their reddish, robin-like breasts they differ from the more common (in this area) all blue Mountain Bluebird.

Across the valley, the pink sandstone cliffs of the Navajo Formation rise to a height of eight hundred or a thousand feet. I think, as I gaze at them, of the millions of years as layer upon layer was added to their height before the movement of the earth's crust led to the fault or crack that lifted them up. And I think of the violent volcanic activity that accompanied that disruption of the earth's crust, and that poured forth those hundreds of feet of lava that now lie on top of Fuzzy Mountain, and on the S'on Sela Buttes, and on the Falling Iron cliffs, and that rise as volcanic plugs and dykes all up and down our valley.

Now we've learned the name of a new planet, 2000 UB -313, that is larger than Pluto, and one of probably many more that lie well beyond Pluto in the Kuiper Belt at the extreme edge of our solar system. New observations from the Hubble telescope have confirmed the presence of two more tiny moons of Pluto. And in January of this year, a new, unexpected comet, Comet Pojmanski, or C2006 A1, was discovered.

Perhaps there is hope. By turning to the study of nature, by studying science and the universe, the mind of man will turn away from hatred and violence to man, that all nations will live in peace, and that the Nation Israel will live.

Avrum Organick, a retired physician, lives on the Navajo Reservation. He can be contacted at avrumorg@aol.com.

This column is the result of a desire by community members, representing different faith communities, wishing to share their ideas about bringing a spiritual perspective into our daily lives and community issues.

For information about contributing a guest column, contact Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola at the Independent: (505) 863-8611, ext. 218 or lizreligion01@yahoo.com.