<Note: I took this course on the Summer of 2009. My course director for the course is Professor Sara R. Horowitz. 7 years has now passed. I posted this paper because I've found it on my computer. You can learn many good lessons from it. It also provides an insight on how to analyze mystical texts. You have to first read "Forevermore", of course. Analyze it yourself, and then compare your analysis with mine to have a better result.>
S.Y. Agnon’s True Interpretation of the
Past in “Forevermore”
I. INTRODUCTION
Before everything
else, it is very important to show first the mystical side of S.Y. Agnon. S.Y.
Agnon, from his very early life, already had interest on the mystical side of Judaism.
You can see this from his first poem, which is about the Kabbalist Joseph della
Reina. He is the mystic famous for his failed attempt to bring about the
redemption. Agnon also wrote many stories, and he worked together with Martin
Buber on an anthology of Hasidic stories. (Wikipedia) Knowing this, there is a foreseeable
enormous chance that “Forevermore” has mystical elements in it. It indeed has,
and it has so in a manner that encompasses almost the whole story. As a matter
of fact, to find the true intention of the author, it has to be carefully
looked upon. Without it, the true meaning of “Forevermore” will not be found.
Its view and interpretation of the past will forever be hidden.
II. BODY
Wisdom Versus Materialistic Things
There are two completely
opposing factors in “Forevermore”. There is the side of good, which Adiel Amzeh
represents. Then, there is the side of evil, which the count of Gumlidata
belongs to. The former embraces Wisdom, while the latter embraces the material
aspect of existence.
In the story, the
count of Gumlidata did not choose the desires of Eldag, who is the embodiment
of Wisdom. Instead, he chose the materialistic things that pushed her away. As known
from the story, Eldag was horrified and disgusted of the assets and ways of the
count. The count did not change his ways even after gaining such knowledge
about her. Because the count still chose the ways that Wisdom does not want, he
was left by her. And his city was eventually destroyed. What should also be
noted is that Eldag was revealed to him in her beautiful form, which means that
the count knew immediately the great and wonderful things that Wisdom could
give. But despite having such insights, he did not embrace her completely. He
delighted in her beauty, but he did not follow her ways.
Adiel Amzeh, on
the other hand, chose Wisdom personified in nurse Adah Eden. He chose nurse
Eden speedily even though she appeared to him as a poor unattractive old woman.
This means that initially, he knows only ugly things that will happen to him
for choosing Wisdom. He has no premonition whatsoever of the beautiful things
that she could bring. Having said so, he still chose her, and the reason is in
the quote, “had touched his face with a special kind of radiance that one
doesn’t find except among those who are truly devoted to seeking wisdom.” Adiel
is very genuinely devoted to Wisdom that he can not afford to choose the
worldly riches and fame offered by Mr. Goldenthal over her. It is a fact that
the author reaffirmed when he wrote “he might have realized that a pleasant and
happy face can be shaped from things other than money,” despite giving away the
ending at the very beginning of his story. And because Adiel did not choose Mr.
Goldenthal, his opposition to the count of Gumlidata on all levels is
strengthened considerably, as they have now a very good connection to
completely oppose each other. That connection is Mr. Goldenthal whose ancestors
are one of the survivors of the city of Gumlidata.
Even more, the latter’s ancestors may have belonged to the city’s aristocracy. And
just as Eldag did not like the count of Gumlidata and his materialistic things,
so did nurse Eden not marry Mr. Goldenthal.
The Book of Gumlidata as the Torah
The book of
Gumlidata is no other than the Torah. The book of Gumlidata was described as
“decayed with age, and on account of the tears?” The same is with the Torah. The
Torah is well known by the people of the world as being a very old account
detailing the suffering of the Jewish people. It also tells about the city
which had been destroyed and made to disappear, the city of Jerusalem. The book of Gumlidata was covered
with pus “that the lepers felt a loathing for it.” Great sufferings are also shown
in the Torah that Jews who have suffered more than enough had felt a loathing
for it. This is especially true to those who suffered in pogroms and the
holocaust, and whose faith has weakened because of them. The story of the book of Gumlidata about
Eldag and its count is just like one of the stories in the Torah where Wisdom
is personified in the form of a woman, like in Proverbs 1:20, where it says
“Wisdom cries aloud in the streets, raises her voice in the squares” (Berlin and Brettler
1451). Reading from the verse further, it will be known that destruction is the
result of not heeding to Wisdom’s advice. The Torah has many concepts about the
ways of Wisdom and folly. In it, there is also a completely different attitude than
any other historical books that only has good justifications for the actions of
their kings.
The count of
Gumlidata was just mentioned to be on the side of evil. Since the book of
Gumlidata is written by him, you may ask, “Isn’t the Torah regarded as a work
of evil here?” No, and the reason is all the story about the count is considered
to be part of the book, or part of the knowledge derived from it. The book is considered
to be one of the biggest and most special parts of the story. Because of this,
it requires an interpretation where it should be given priority among others. This
kind of interpretation is practiced not only on mysticism but also on other
disciplines as well.
Adiel’s Actions as Stages of Spiritual Transformations
How Adiel
approached everything in the story is how righteous Jews behaved in the past.
First, Adiel worked on the history of the city of Gumlidata for twenty years. Traditionally,
the same could be said of the length of study a Jew must undertake before he
has complete grasp of the oral and written Torah. In other words, a good
candidate to study the mystical teachings is a person who has reached the age
of 40, where he has learned many things, and his faith has stood the test of
time. What the story also interestingly adds is that on that crossroad of life,
a Jew might encounter two opposite choices, just like what happened to Adiel. When
that happens, the righteous Jew must always choose Wisdom over materialistic
things.
When a Jew chooses
Wisdom, he will experience spiritual ecstasies too, like what happened to Adiel
when he went with nurse Eden towards the hospital. As “Adiel was not conscious
of the passers-by, avoiding them as they went along,” so too is the Jew who is
in his way towards enlightenment. The Jew will not be affected by what goes
around in his surroundings. He will not care about gossips, and what other
people thinks. His whole being is centered only towards the bliss that he
experiences from gaining more Torah insights. Time does not exist. Place does not exist.
During that time, not only did Adiel “forgot his own book”, he also forgot
about Mr. Goldenthal.
As the Jew goes
deeper into ecstasy, he will then eventually forget his own body. To know what
experiences are involved in it, look at Adiel’s expression when he finally saw
the book. He stared at it until “his eyes seemed to occupy half his face.” He
then “looked at it for a long time, and then jumped up quickly to open it.” He no
longer had any regard on what happens to his own body. And there is not a
single trace of fear in him, whereas ordinary people will be deadly stricken with
it in that circumstance. Evil, in the
form of leprosy, ceased to exist. His attention is concentrated only towards
the knowledge that he would gain. The righteous Jew will experience all these
as he progressed from his path. Then, Adiel was placed in the “hospital garden
among the trees which are known as the “Trees of Eden.” This means that the Jew
will then be able to enter the most sacred place of the Torah. The trees in the
garden of Eden are really the center of the Torah where mystical knowledge could
be gained. In it, the past sages of Israel were able to derive answers
to the spiritual questions that bothered them. This is a fact, which is expressed
clearly in what happened to Adiel.
Just like Adiel who
has learned the truth from the book, when a Jew has experienced the mystical
teachings of the Torah, he will also be able to correct his false beliefs. And
the way that he will do it is based from actual experiences which will leave
him no doubts about the truth. The Jew will also take refuge in the study of
the Torah, just as Adiel took a room at the hospital. Eventually, the Jew will
then teach his fellow Jews, just as Adiel read the passages of the book aloud
to the patients in the great hall. The Jew will also tell his people revelations,
just as Adiel told the patients of his new theories. The Jew will also
completely abandon the desire of fame and recognition. He will be just content
on finding knowledge from the Torah. Finally, Wisdom will appear to him in her
most beautiful form, a Goddess, just like what happened to Adiel. She will hold
him, take him as her lover, and tell him to not leave her.
In the end, Adiel
did not leave the hospital. He remained there forevermore, discovering new
things. This ending is not bad. It is actually the best ending for the
righteous Jew. But of course, the reader will not know the true reason why if
it is not read from a mystical perspective. As stated in the Zohar, the upper
garden of Eden
is where the righteous study the Torah day and night. They will study the Torah
for eternity there. The Torah is their only delight. Adiel was able to ascend
from the lower garden of Eden to the upper garden of Eden. What he had
accomplished is what the past sages like the Rashbi had accomplished. It is the
best accomplishment for a Jew. And he did it in the midst of suffering, just
like how the Jews in the past did it.
Lepers as the Jews
Based on the
aforementioned ideas, it is very easy to deduce that the lepers are the
suffering Jews, and the hospital is the shtetl in which they live in. In the
story there are three characters that the lepers had contact with: the count of
Gumlidata, nurse Eden, and Adiel Amzeh. These three are actually the entities
that the Jews had contact in the past. The count of Gumlidata represents the
suffering Gentiles who lived with the Jews in the past. Though they had become
the lowest of the nations, compared to the suffering Jews, they were much
better. Nurse Eden represents Wisdom who always take care of the suffering Jews.
She is the only one who they can truly say that belong to them. She always gives
them insights and knowledge. Lastly, Adiel Amzeh represents the righteous Jew,
who even though may fare batter and are far from the suffering Jews, will
return to them because they have what he really wants. In their midst is the
Torah who alone can give him happiness.
III. CONCLUSION
I therefore
conclude that “Forevermore” shapes the past in a way that the spiritual leaders
have shaped them, through religious ideology. Moreover, “Forevermore makes use
of the same structure as that of those said leaders. And also, many of its
imaginations were also derived from the mystical side of Judaism. Having said
so, it should not be surprising, as Jewish mysticism, always had great
influence on shaping the past, in a hidden or revealed manner. “Forevermore” is
the best example of such. And it was very interesting to see how it has focused
greatly on the experience of the righteous Jews of the generations. This kind
of experiences can easily be related to by the Jews who are religiously
inclined, no matter what their background is. It acts as a bridge connecting
the past, present, and future. It can even evoke nostalgia to those who are longing
for the spiritual past.
Agnon’s true
interpretation of “Forevermore” is therefore about the continuous struggle of
the Jews of the past to find their true happiness. That happiness, contrary to
the materialistic happiness of other nations, can only be found on the
spiritual side of existence. It is the happiness of being able to study the
Torah. As Rambam said on his “Commentary on Mishnah”, “Our sages and prophets
did not long for the Messianic age in order that they might rule the world and
dominate the gentiles, the only thing they wanted was to be free for Jews to
involve themselves with the Torah and its wisdom.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Agnon, S.Y., Forevermore
Berlin, Adele, and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. The Jewish Study
Bible. Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation. Oxford: Oxford
UP, 2004. Print.
Maimonides, Commentary on Mishnah,
Sanhedrin 10:1
“Shmuel Yosef Agnon.” Wikipedia,
The Free Encyclopedia. 27 April 2009, 06:36 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 11
May 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shmuel_Yosef_Agnon>
