The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association list-serve has been discussing the question of "grace," the unearned goodness we experience in our lives.
It brought to mind a quotation from M. Kaplan's Diary that is a favorite of my father, the economist.(for more on my father's views, see the post below this one.)
From the Kaplan Diary
November 12, 1930As I sat alone and ate the lunch I said to myself, “This is a fair quid pro quo.” I gave the world three hours of homiletics and the world gave me back a nourishing lunch. I can never cease marveling at the miracle of exchange of goods and services. Not all the Ten Plagues of Egypt with the dividing of the Red Sea thrown into the bargain can compare in marvelousness with the miracle of exchange that makes it possible for me to get asparagus on toast in exchange for the homiletic interpretation of a few paragraphs of Leviticus Rabbah. It is for this marvel of marvels that I thank God whenever I say grace, and I say it quite often with cap on or without a cap.
November 12, 1930As I sat alone and ate the lunch I said to myself, “This is a fair quid pro quo.” I gave the world three hours of homiletics and the world gave me back a nourishing lunch. I can never cease marveling at the miracle of exchange of goods and services. Not all the Ten Plagues of Egypt with the dividing of the Red Sea thrown into the bargain can compare in marvelousness with the miracle of exchange that makes it possible for me to get asparagus on toast in exchange for the homiletic interpretation of a few paragraphs of Leviticus Rabbah. It is for this marvel of marvels that I thank God whenever I say grace, and I say it quite often with cap on or without a cap.
1 comment:
hi there, I'm new to your blog. to be honest I'm not quite sure how it wound up on my bloglines, I must have stumbled across a link to you on another blog.
who knows?
I like this post for a couple of reasons but I must confess that what brought me to the blog from my RSS reader was the picture of Kaplan. what a great shot.
ignoring the references to asparagus (as I'm not a fan) I like the way he captured the simplicity of gratitude in everyday life.
in on that note be well
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