Eternal and transitory

The seven subsequent chapters of the Qur'an were read by Mohammed in Mecca, in the first half of his preaching work. They explain the Muslim faith in the way it was sent down to the Earth by the Lord. All these suras begin with the Arabic letters "Ha - Mim".

What did the prophet Mohammed preach to his first followers? He spoke about the omnipotence of Allah, about His oneness, about the need to submit to Him without reserve. In Sura 41, we read the words "Do not prostrate yourself before the sun and moon, but prostrate yourself before Allah who created them." The Prophet spoke about the approach of Divine judgment, about helping neighbors, about the fact that an unrighteous person would go to Gehenna. Mohammed tells his listeners about the story of the pharaoh who captured the Jews, about the punishment of God that befell him. At the same time, Allah turns to Mohammed himself and urges him to endure hardships. The prophet read these suras with passion. He talked about the creation of the heavens and the earth by God, about the peoples who did not listen to the warnings of the prophets, and therefore disappeared from the face of the earth.

In the same chapter, we see the following thought (we transmit it here in E. Kuliev's translation):

“If We made it a Quran not in Arabic, they would certainly say:“ Why are his verses not explained? Non-Arabic speech and Arab? " Say, “He is faithful guidance and healing for those who believe. And the ears of unbelievers are stricken with deafness, and they are blind to him. These are the ones who are called from afar. "

Saadi, in his interpretation of the Koran, gives the following explanations (cited in an abbreviation, also translated by E. Kuliev):

« Hashem sent downhis to the Arab envoy - Quran in his native Arabic so that he can explain it to his people. After all, if Allah sent him down in a foreign language, then many who disbelieved would say:« Why is it not explainedya you? Oh, if only we understood its meaning and significance! How is it that an Arab proclaims the Koran in a non-Arabic way? Why Muhammad- Arab, but broughtis the Koran foreign to him? "

The explanation of this ayat in the interpretation of the Al-Azhar Institute sounds like this:

“If We sent down the Qur'an not in Arabic, but in another language, as some stubborn infidels suggested, denying it, they would say:“ Can you explain its verses in a language that we understand? How is this Scripture not in Arabic, but addressed to the Arabs ?! "

The Koran, Sunnah, Sira in the form in which they are today, and with the interpretations that we have, are addressed to the Arabs. And not only the language, but also many of the information and judgments inherent in them.

Now the world Muslim society consists not only of Arabs, but of representatives of different peoples. During the Hajj in Mecca, you can see the Japanese, and the Americans, and the Russians. All of them honor the Arabic language in which the Koran was created, they study the language of the Prophet Mohammed. At the same time, the way of life and their living conditions are far from the living conditions of the Arabian Peninsula of the seventh century. It is unlikely that many modern Muslims will approve of, say, clitoroectomy, stoning; they will react with understanding to the desires of people living next to Muslims, not so loudly call for morning prayer. The picture of sacrifices on the holiday of Eid al-Adha or the suffering of Shiites on the day of Ashura also do not fit into the landscape of modern European cities.

When issues of de-Arabization of Islam are raised in modern Islamic societies, it is not only about the observed prevalence of the Arabic language over the native languages \u200b\u200bof modern Muslims, but also about the linking of Islamic principles to modern thinking. The principles of Islam set forth by the prophet in Mecca are unshakable, and historical aspects must remain in history.

So, a few Meccan suras of the Koran.

SURA 40. FORGIVING (Gafir). Meccan, prophetic period.

Allah accepts repentance. He forgives and punishes at will. Reasonable person from the line of Pharaoh. Pharaoh's death. A call to the messenger to repent of sins. Instructions.

In the name of Allah, the merciful, the merciful!

Ha - mime. The Qur'an was sent down to you by Allah - forgiving and accepting repentance, severe in punishment, but merciful. There is no deity, besides Him, your return to Him will take place.

Angels next to the throne of God give Him praise, they ask Him to forgive all believers: Lord, forgive them their sins, they repented, protect them from fire, bring them into the Gardens of Eden.

And they will call upon the unbelievers: the wrath of Allah was great when you were called to faith, but you did not go. This anger was more than your self-hatred.

The atheist will now say: Our Lord, by Your will we were twice dead, and twice You gave us life back. We confessed our sins. Is there no way to forgiveness?

The wrath of God fell on unbelievers. No one could protect them from retaliation. My messengers warned, but they were not believed. The infidels were defeated for this.

We sent Musa to the infidels - Firaun, Haman and Karuna - with clear signs. But they called My messenger a liar. His people were in slavery, the atheists killed boys, leaving only girls alive. Allah punished all the wicked for their sins.

A reasonable person from the Firaun clan said to him: will you really kill Musa just because he believes not in you, but in God? If he is a false prophet, then God Himself will punish him. If he is a messenger, we will be punished. But Firaun replied: I am leading you on the right path. And he said to Haman: Build me a tower so that I can ascend to God, about whom this liar, Musa, speaks.

A reasonable one from the Firaun family turned to the Egyptians: oh, my people, follow me, worldly life - it is fleeting, more importantly eternal. Whether you are in heaven or hell - everyone decides for himself. I call to faith in the one Allah. And what a person without reason strives for is hell.

Those who follow this person will be protected by God from hell. Firaun believed his deeds to be true. And We rescued Musa with his brothers, and sank the Firaun clan.

Be patient, messenger, in fulfilling the ordinances of God, ask for forgiveness for your sins, praise Him in the evening and in the morning.

Anyone who argues about the signs of Allah is arrogant, and this is the path to fire. The blind and the seeing, who do evil and do good, are not equal. On the day of judgment, God will mark their difference.

Be steadfast and patient, messenger! The promise of Allah is true: either We will punish your enemies before your eyes, or after your death.

And before you, God chose messengers. You know only about some, about many We have not told. All the prophets showed signs to people only with the permission of Allah. When a command comes from Him, people who accuse you of lying will be defeated.

SURA 41. EXPLAINED (Fussilat). Meccan, prophetic period.

Divine signs. If the Koran were not in Arabic ... How many days the world was created? Like the Bible, the Qur'an talks about forgiveness.

In the name of Allah, the merciful, the merciful!

Ha - mime.

This scripture, sent down by Allah, is explained in clear Arabic in the form of the Koran. He is good news for believers and a warning to those who believe in nothing. These say: our hearts are locked, our hearing is defeated, there is a veil between you and us.

Say: I am the same person as you, but it has been suggested to me that I must explain: God is one, so go to Him and to repentance. Woe to those who do not follow the path of Allah! And those who believe are an inexhaustible reward.

Tell them, messenger: do you really not believe in the One who created the earth in just two days, and can you compare others with Him? After all, it is He - the Lord of the worlds. After all, it was He who raised unshakable mountains on the earth, blessed it, and in four days provided food for all who ask.

Then He turned to the earth and to the sky, which was smoke: serve a man willingly or against his will. They said: we will do this of our own free will.

Then he created the seven tiers of heaven within a couple of days and gave each of the tiers a commission. And on the lower one he placed lamps and protection from Satan. This is the predestination of Allah.

On the day of judgment, when the atheists are drawn to the fire, even the skin on their bodies will tell about their deeds. They believed that Allah would not know everything that they were hiding. Let them not ask for mercy now: it will not be shown to them.

They had disgusting fellow travelers who said that their deeds were wonderful. But the word of Allah came true - and those people and those genies who were mistaken were among the defeated.

Unbelievers say: do not listen to the Koran, talk about it empty, then you will win. But then, when punishment overtakes them, they will say: Lord, show us the jinn and people who have misled us, we will trample them.

To believers, the angels themselves descend from heaven and say: do not be afraid, do not be sad, paradise is prepared for you. And we are your helpers in the world and in eternal life. Everything you want is prepared for you.

Good and evil are opposite. Answer evil with good, and you will see how the worst enemy has become a friend. This is not given to everyone, but only to patient, pious people. And if Satan comes with temptation, resort to God's protection. He knows how to ward off the dark forces.

Night and day, moon and sun are His signs. Do not fall in worship before the sun and moon, worship God. And if you ascend, you will not worship Allah - well, He has slaves who worship Him day and night, not knowing they are tired.

If the Qur'an was sent down in a language other than Arabic, people would have doubted: why does an Arab speak not Arabic? Say: The Quran is a guide and healing for Muslims. And the hearts of those who turn away are stricken. They do not hear the sacred verses, as if the one who reads is far from them.

We also gave the scriptures to Musa, but disagreements arose among the people. So it is with you. The message sent to you is also controversial. Allah could have stopped them, but postponed them until the final judgment.

The Lord knows everything. Without His knowledge, no fruit is formed from the ovary, the female will not bear and give birth. And only He has the knowledge when the judgment on people will take place.

Ask them, messenger: what if, after all, the scripture is from Allah, and you do not believe in it? How can you live in such disagreement with the truth?

While they are in doubt about meeting God. The Lord knows it.

Elena Yurievna Tomsha

psychologist

Museum Pedagogy at School

issue 4, SPb., 2005

Values \u200b\u200bare eternal and transitory

(based on psychological research)

In recent years, various psychological studies have been carried out in the Gymnasium at the State Russian Museum, the main purpose of which was to identify the influence of the subjects of the museum cycle on the personal development and formation of students. The fact that the Gymnasium belongs to the Russian Museum is a value for parents who bring their children here, the program "Hello, Museum!" - the main difference from other gymnasiums and schools. To determine what the museum component influences, how it affects the development of children, in what specific features it is expressed - this is the task that we set ourselves.

It is quite simple to check the intellectual mastering of museum disciplines - the results of tests, surveys, the level of abstract papers and answers in exams are reliable indicators. It is much more difficult to determine the depth of the influence of the knowledge gained, to find how they are reflected at the level of the general culture of students and graduates, as expressed in the peculiarities of their worldview and system of relations.

Psychology recognizes that one of the most important components of personality are values \u200b\u200bthat allow tracing and analyzing all types of human activities, explaining the change in his psychological motives. They serve as a guide to a person's life, determine his behavior. According to F. Znanetsky, values \u200b\u200bare the basis of life and create a cultural world.

Values \u200b\u200bare combined into a system, representing a certain hierarchical structure that can change with age and life circumstances. And the primary formation of views, attitudes and values \u200b\u200bin a certain system falls just at the time of completion of school education. “Changes in the mental maturation of senior schoolchildren entail the need for ideological reflection, thinking over the system of values,” notes A. Kopytin. “This period is associated with the development of a worldview and self-awareness on the basis of previously acquired knowledge” (4). Of course, knowledge from social and humanitarian disciplines of the school curriculum, covering many social issues, is of great importance here. At the same time, I would like to note that recently in domestic, as, indeed, in foreign, literature on pedagogy and psychology, the role of art, its influence on the formation of the views of a teenager has been emphasized. M. S. Kagan in his work "Philosophy of Culture" writes: "... Art expands the boundaries of the student's cognitive activity, brings him information of a special kind, serves as a kind of" textbook of life "" (2). Using Kagan's metaphor, we can say that our gymnasium students have a unique opportunity, from the first grade to the end of their studies, to turn to the knowledge of "life textbooks" - masterpieces of the Russian Museum.

All of the above explains why it was the identification of value orientations and the construction of the hierarchical structure of values \u200b\u200bof senior students of the Gymnasium that became the task of the psychological research conducted in the 2002/2003 academic year. This was a joint work with the Faculty of Psychology of St. Petersburg State University, and the author expresses deep gratitude to Valentina Mikhailovna Byzova, professor, lecturer at the University, for her leadership and creative collaboration.

The study involved 132 students from grades 10 and 11, 44 boys and 88 girls. High school students were asked to complete a test containing 2 lists of values, as well as write a short essay on the topic "Values \u200b\u200bare eternal and transitory." The test results were subject to mathematical processing, provided standardization of answers, and essays allowed us to see the attitude to the topic of values \u200b\u200bin a free presentation. The chosen research methodology is based, like the well-known Rokeach methodology, on the identification of two categories of spiritual values: 1) basic, terminal (values-goals, for example, equality); 2) instrumental (values-means - personality traits, abilities, such as honesty, commitment, etc., - which help to achieve the goal). In accordance with this approach, the methodology contains 2 lists of 30 values, each of them is proposed to be evaluated on a 9-point scale, depending on its importance.

In the resulting hierarchy, the basic values \u200b\u200bare lined up in the following order:

2. interesting life

4.the meaning of life

5.freedom

7. self-respect

8. pleasure

9.variety of life

10. welfare (money, material welfare).

This list contains "leaders" - the first 10 values \u200b\u200bout of 30. Note that such values \u200b\u200bof interest to us as spiritual life (emphasis on spiritual, not material things), creativity, the world of beauty (the beauty of nature and art) were approximately in the middle list. Here, gender differences were also clearly manifested - for girls the named values \u200b\u200bturned out to be more significant than for boys, although in many other issues the differences are practically not noticeable. The only exception is the value of “power” (control over others, domination, domination), where the difference is almost 1.5 points - for girls this side of life is practically irrelevant, for boys it is more important, although in general it is “power” that stands last in the list of values, i.e. almost ignored by high school students.

Among the values \u200b\u200bthat reflect the principle of life, ways of behaving in accordance with values, the following hierarchy has been established:

1.reaching success

2. enjoying life (enjoying food, love, relaxation, etc.)

3.independence (self-confidence, self-sufficiency)

4. health

5.choosing your own goals

6.intelligence

7.loyalty (loyalty to friends, to your neighbors)

8.skillfulness (competence, efficiency, productivity)

9.respect for parents, elders (respect)

10. honesty (authenticity, sincerity).

Further processing of the data involves the combination of values \u200b\u200binto groups that reflect the personality traits of the respondents. Here we got the following results: in the first place among high school students "hedonism" as an orientation towards getting all kinds of pleasures from life, on the second - "independence", then - "stimulation", ie. the need to experience strong impressions, "shakes", for a sense of the fullness of life. Comparison with the results obtained by the staff of St. Petersburg State University on a large group of Russian schoolchildren - the same age as our gymnasium students - shows their significant difference. So, ultimately, among schoolchildren, “security” (national, family, personal) comes first as a striving for security and stability; on the second - “achievements” (they were in fifth place among the gymnasium students). The results are similar in that “generosity” is in third place for Russian schoolchildren and fourth for gymnasium students (this does not mean material aspects, rather, the term “soul breadth” is behind this term).

Comparisons with other studies of value orientations have also yielded many interesting results. In the article by V.N.Koziev, published in the collection "The Art Museum in the Educational Process", the data obtained at the Gymnasium about 10 years ago are given:

“A survey of 232 pupils in grades 8-11 of the gymnasium at the State Russian Museum in 1993 showed that aesthetic values \u200b\u200bin the list of 18 basic life values \u200b\u200bamong schoolchildren occupy the last places. The most significant values \u200b\u200bturned out to be “health”, “freedom”, love ”,“ family ”,“ friends ”,“ self-confidence ”(the method of“ value orientations ”by M. Rokich)” (3). artistic culture and its place in the structure of values \u200b\u200bover the past 30 years.A picture is being built: the "museum boom" of the 70s, a decrease in interest in the early 80s, an increase in this trend in the era of perestroika and the post-Soviet period, a decline in the importance of culture in the 90s The author comes to the conclusion: “In the post-Soviet period,“ artistic culture ”in the hierarchy of life orientations has taken a strong peripheral position ...” Note that in our study, spiritual life (emphasis on spiritual, not material things), creativity, the world of beauty ( the beauty of nature and art) are no longer in the last places, but approximately in the middle of the hierarchy built by the gymnasium students. Let's not rush to conclusions, but perhaps this is the beginning of the reverse process of returning to culture, the first manifestations of the trend addressing the values \u200b\u200bof culture as something eternal, unshakable, durable, so necessary in the constantly changing modern world.

And one more discovery was presented to us by our students. In studies of value orientations conducted in the 90s, scientists note a pronounced difference in the responses of boys and girls. So, E.V. Vasina calls the following gender differences: for girls, the value is affiliation, trusting relationships, for boys - an orientation towards self-realization and self-affirmation (5). The research of VV Baranova and ME Zelenova showed the following: “Unexpectedly, health turned out to be the most significant for high school students. The tenth-graders put “love” in second place, boys - “interesting work”, girls - “happy family life” ”(1). In our study, the analysis of essay texts in which students freely expressed their views on values \u200b\u200bshowed the opposite picture: in all the works of young men, love and good relationships were called the main value in life; such answers are also found among girls, but they have a more vivid tendency to assert themselves in life, build a career, and ensure independence. Reflections on the texts of the essays led to the assumption of a change in traditional roles, the emergence of energetic, confident, active and goal-oriented girls and softer and more romantic boys.

I would like to agree with the opinion of VV Baranova and ME Zelenova: “Over the past 10 years, the socio-economic situation in the country has changed, the world that a teenager should enter has become different. Norms and values \u200b\u200bhave changed (not only socio-economic, but also psychological), behavioral models that the child must master. The question of the socialization of high school students in the modern socio-economic situation, conditions and factors contributing to its success, has thus become especially relevant ”(1). Reflections on the materials of our research, attempts to consider the results obtained from different points of view led to the following assumption: the presented picture of value orientations reflects the collisions of values \u200b\u200bthat have taken place in our society over the past 15 years. They are expressed in the confrontation between the traditional values \u200b\u200band values \u200b\u200bof the "Western way of life" established in Soviet society and very energetically propagated through the media. Orientation to eternal values \u200b\u200bsuch as culture, beauty, knowledge, love, goodness, traditionally revered and formed over the years in our society, is daily tested for strength. Numerous slogans such as “Take everything from life”, “Don't let yourself dry out!”, “After all, you deserve it”, “And let the world wait!” etc., form egoistic attitudes, a focus on obtaining all kinds of pleasures, a desire to live one day, a thirst for material goods. The aggressiveness of advertising, its negative impact, especially on the fragile minds of children and young people, psychologists speak more and more with increasing concern. It is already known that advertising promotes not a product, but a certain way of life, a way of behavior, a way of thinking. And in this struggle, eternal values \u200b\u200bfind themselves in a difficult position: you need to ascend to them, it requires work, overcoming yourself, self-improvement, while the ideals and norms promoted by the media - in talk shows, advertisements, serials - are primitive, and therefore are very easy to learn and follow. This is how culture collides with the cult of mediocrity, and eternal values \u200b\u200bwith the brilliant tinsel of pseudo-values. And adolescents, who have not yet decided on their views, must make their choice in this difficult situation. As an illustration, I would like to cite small excerpts from essays - reflections of high school students on the topic "Values \u200b\u200beternal and transitory." Essays are signed with pseudonyms chosen by the authors.

“I believe that speculation about eternal values \u200b\u200bis mostly meaningless. In fact, most people are interested in their material well-being, success, the opinion of others about them, and the so-called "eternal values" fade into the background. Transient values \u200b\u200bfor people have become much more important than eternal ones, because they can provide a pleasant and interesting life ... ”(Zvezdochka, 16 years old)

“The goal in life is important for me. Achieving your desires and goals. Comfort and tranquility. Good family. Job. Independence, confidence in the future ... "(PVA, 16 years old)

“In my understanding, eternal values \u200b\u200bare something that is passed down from generation to generation, from century to century. Such as music, nature, family hearth, art, family and friends. These values \u200b\u200bshould never disappear, and transitory values \u200b\u200bsuch as striving for fame, satisfaction of one's desires, etc., may disappear and have no meaning for a person. Perhaps many people consider them important, but when they look back and think, they will realize that there is nothing more important than eternal values. People cannot live without them, otherwise they will never find spiritual happiness and joy in life. " (Brain, 16 years old)

“For me, the most important are love, friendship and inner harmony. Striving for harmony and beauty, for spiritual life, for the fulfillment of one's life, for happiness and knowledge. To live in order to convey something very important to people, "live for others", to enrich our life with light and beauty, is great. " (Gerda, 16 years old)

Literature

1. Baranova V.V., Zelenova M.E. High school students' ideas about the future as an aspect of socialization. / Journal "Psychological Science and Education" №1 - 1998

2. Kagan M.S. Philosophy of Culture, St. Petersburg, 1996, p.302

3. Koziev V.N. Schoolchildren, teachers, students at the State Russian Museum / Collection "Art Museum in the educational process", St. Petersburg, 1998, p.100-104

4. Kopytin A.I. Fundamentals of Art Therapy, St. Petersburg, 1999, p. 143

5. Psychology / edited by A.A. Krylov, M, 2000, p. 257-259

The theme of the eternal and transient in lyric poetry is one of the most relevant in literature. After all, the difference between these concepts is rather controversial: those things that look transient in our eyes conceal a hidden sacred meaning, which is filled with human life. Using the example of the poems of Russian classics, we will try to define the eternal and transitory phenomena in human life.

A. Pushkin "Winter Morning"

From the first to the last line, Alexander Pushkin's poem "Winter Morning" is saturated with that indescribable joy that excites the soul, which is felt by every person who sees a real Russian winter. The frosty blizzard, which even in the evening evoked sadness and despondency, was replaced by a sunny frosty morning, giving inspiration and good mood!

The poem is a monologue in which the author makes his loved one, together with him, come into contact with the greatness of the Russian winter. This verse is filled with philosophical meaning - after all, a person will never be able to fully realize the beauty of a winter morning if there was no dark blizzard evening in his life.

A very important truth is hidden in the verse: after the black period of life, there always comes a time of joy and bliss, this is natural as the process of changing night and morning.

Y. Levitansky "Leaves are falling ..."

The poem by Y. Levitansky "Leaves are falling ..." is a real internal discussion of the lyric hero about what is eternal and what is transient. At first glance, the beauty of autumn, yellow leaves swirling in their last waltz are transitory phenomena. However, they are part of nature's eternal process of changing seasons.

And even by their mere presence they supplement all the power of eternity, and therefore are part of it. The bird dispels the author's doubts, which, with its singing, seems to say that everything that a person considers insignificant and transient is in fact eternal.

A. Voznesensky "Saga"

A. Voznesensky's poem "Saga" is a loud ode to love. The author describes parting with his beloved woman, the lyrical hero is sure that he will never see her more in his life. At first glance, such a situation seems transient for us: both heroes are ready for a new life, for parting with the past.

But can the holy feeling of love be called a transitory concept? It is eternal, like the world itself! Love originates in heaven, and even after parting, it continues to exist in space and in the memory of the person himself.

G. Shpalikov "People are lost only once ..."

The work of G. Shpalikov raises an acute problem of mankind - parting with people who have never been better known. Indeed, very often, when new people come into our lives, we do not attach any importance to this and often let them go forever.

After a certain time, they even disappear from our memory. The author explains to the reader that the situation can be coordinated in a different way: try to get to know a person, do a good deed for him, open his soul for himself. We complain about our loneliness, but calmly ignore new people in our lives who can become truly close to each of us.

An important definition of existence is going beyond existence, the possibility of striving for something more meaningful, absolute, transcendental. In the world of life, which arises as a result of an act of existence, a person exists in psychological time, the outgoing year. Childhood, adolescence, maturity pass, a time of suffering and trials passes, a joyful moment of inspiration and reciprocity passes. But there is also Truth, Justice, Goodness, God, Beauty, Love. These main, highest values, regardless of how each person calls them, cannot but influence the development of the individual, symbolizing the eternal, enduring.

In the life experience of each person, there are situations when she feels the openness of the transcendent, otherworldly, then greater than herself. This can be an epiphany under the influence of experiencing difficult trials or, conversely, the feeling of being part of the cosmic abyss, wise and harmonious, as a result of immersion in a state of happy love. Such sensations are familiar to the mother immediately after the birth of the child. They also arise for the artist, who thinks that he is only an obedient instrument in the hands of a Higher Power. A state of religious ecstasy also leads to them, especially after exhausting fasting. Sometimes just being somewhere in nature, in the mountains, on the seashore, in the forest helps to feel your deep kinship with everything that surrounds you, with the beautiful and eternal, which will remain here even when you will not be in this world for a long time ...

Let us recall Skovoroda, who valued being precisely as transitory. Everything that exists in time, he called a shadow, not the truth to him, but he recognized that the transitory is for man the only reality that must be put on the pound of the eternal, so that it shines with all the colors of life. "A thousand shadows are cast by an apple tree, and the only man of God - in thousands of our lives, because these are thousands of images of the transitory. Skovoroda opposes faith in the immortality of the best in man to the grief of the transitory, passing shadow. The transitory touches the world of shadows and only contributes to the return of man to himself. the outgoing one indicates its fragility, that it is based on the permanent, eternally existing. All ours disappears, and eternity takes the place of the shadow "(V.A.Romenets).

The transitory, if viewed outside the eternal, becomes absurd, accidental, superficial, uninteresting. The eternal, which in no way is embodied in everyday life, is not compared with the transitory, becomes abstract, unreal, artificial and therefore also uninteresting. The transient always begins in the eternal, represents a certain portion of the eternal, embodies the eternal, develops it. The eternal is imperceptibly, implicitly present in the naysko-rominus, in everyday, ordinary. A person who, in the whirlpool of life, remembers the uniqueness of each of his moments, who constantly strives for eternal values, until they are introduced into the sphere of the temporary, with measles and for which purpose, step by step approaches himself, becomes free.

Since the late Middle Ages, there has been a Christian legend about Agasfera, the "Eternal Jew". When Jesus, weakened by the burden of the cross, went to Golgotha \u200b\u200band demanded to rest, Ahasuerus, who was standing in the crowd, said: “Go, go,” for which he was punished - he was forever denied eternal - in the peace of the grave. Age in the century is doomed to Ahasfer to travel the world, waiting for the second coming of Christ, which alone can deprive him of his annoying immortality. As S. S. Averintsev notes, Agasfer is "an enemy of Christ, but at the same time a witness of Christ, a sinner who strikes with a mysterious curse and frightens with his mere appearance as a ghost and a bad sign, but because of precisely the curse is correlated with Christ , with which he must certainly meet in "this world", and in repentance and conversion can turn into a good omen for the whole world. The structural principle of the legend is a double paradox, when the dark and the light change places twice: immortality, the desired goal of human efforts, in this the case turns into a curse, and the curse turns into a caress (a chance of calculation). "

This legend has many literary incarnations. New and new interpretations, which replace each other age after century, testify to the eternity of the problem, to the absence of a final, absolute decision about the need to begin a separate search within each individual life. Do you need a life that has nothing to cherish, because it will still never end or end? What is eternal and transitory for me, based on today's understanding of the finitude of my existence?

An ambiguous variation on the theme is presented by our contemporary - Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. The hero of his story, a military tribune of the Roman legion, goes to the West in search of the city of the Immortals, and after difficult trials that almost cost him his life, he reaches his goal. The city turns out to be boundless, ugly and meaningless, its architecture oversaturated with symmetry evokes nothing but horror and disgust. The people who built this stunning labyrinth lost in the desert are presented to the Roman as cruel And primitive troglodytes. They live in caves, feed on snakes, in their barbarity are naive like children, because they have no compassion for anyone. Taught by the experience of history, they abandoned any moral and rational criteria, they are not interested in anyone else's or their own fate.

"The life of the Immortal is empty, except for man, all living beings are immortal, because they do not know about death, and to feel like an Immortal is divine, terrible, incomprehensible to the mind." Borges notes: "death (or the mention of death) fills people with sublime feelings and makes life valuable. Feeling like creatures of short-lived, people behave accordingly; every deed committed may be the last."

In life, it is not true, which is aimed at the tasks of the present, as Kierkegaard believes, the ability to synthesize the transitory and the eternal disappears. Human existence is a drama, testifies to the struggle for introducing eternal values \u200b\u200binto everyday life familiar to everyone. It is necessary to return to the method of Socrates, to be, like him, a "stimulator of souls". Freedom presupposes the ability to remain oneself, remembering the eternal, without experiencing dependence on the requirements of society, public opinion, and family expectations. And slavery is a surrender to the transitory, to the ghostly world, which Skovoroda wrote about as a ruddy monkey, and also a decorated coffin.

A distinctive feature of human existence is longing, longing for absolute being, longing for eternal values, for God. It is this longing that is the source of activity aimed at searching for true, genuine being, approaching the eternal. But most people, looking for completeness, get bogged down in little things.

A person cannot find himself in sense gratification, lustful desires. Kierkegaard analyzes the fate of Don Juan, trying to show the eternal dissatisfaction of those who are looking for the ghostly ideal of earthly love. His Don Juan seeks great love and is constantly tired of the next disappointments, yearns for the ideal and is satiated with the ritual of sensual pleasures. This is a tragic figure, a bruised, humiliated, albeit "sensually brilliant" image. Sensual love by its nature, according to Kierkegaard, cannot be true, because it is love not for one person, but for everyone, it is a temptation.

A person cannot find himself in work for his relatives, society, and contemporaries. She dissolves herself in numerous duties, functions, assignments, tasks, losing her own individual life in all its uniqueness. A person suffers, her conscience is restless, and the only way out is to understand her purpose, to find the truth that would be her own truth, to find an idea for which she could live.

According to Kierkegaard, there is only one force that is able to unite the torn human "I", this is love for God. We find the meaning of life when we begin to believe in God, and this faith becomes a revelation. A person only lives a true life when it tries to realize the eternal in the fleeting, illuminated by God's grace. Awareness of the abyss between the transient and the eternal is at the same time the awareness of the truth about the infinity of the distance between the real, sinful, natural man and God, between the real and ideal "I". What could be more significant than the path over this abyss?

LIFE PASSING AND LIFE ETERNAL

Once upon a time there lived a Jew - a rich and learned man. He lived the time allotted to him in contentment, in high esteem, and then Gd called his soul to him. The soul ascended to heaven, an angel met her and led her to show the place of a new dwelling. The soul sees a beautiful house, like two drops of water similar to the one where the rich man lived on earth. "That's for me?" “No, your house is further away,” the angel replies. Go see a luxury villa. "That's for me?" The soul asks again. "No, your house is on." They come to the magnificent palace. "Is it really for me?" - the soul rejoices. "No, you over there," - the Angel moved his head somewhere to the side. The soul looks - and there is a tiny hut under a thatched roof. "But how is it, but for what sins I have such disgrace ?!" The angel only makes a helpless gesture: "What can you do, we only got money for this house." “So, it’s about money! Give me five minutes, - the rich man fussed, - I'll go down to the ground, I'll bring you a whole chest of gold, I have a lot of it! " “Sorry,” says the angel, “nothing will come of it. There is only that money in the price that you gave to others. And what he saved up during his lifetime and stuffed it in chests - this does not count for us. Late…"

Jews believe in human immortality. In the immortality of the deed and the immortality of the soul.

What is the immortality of the deed? The Talmud says: Jacob, the forefather of our people, did not die: since his offspring are alive, therefore, he is also alive. Our sages interpret this thought as follows: if a person teaches his children to always act according to the laws of righteousness, this great work of his will continue in children. And the person himself will remain alive in the righteous deeds of his descendants.

What is the immortality of the soul? We believe that the soul descends into our world, so that, being in a human form, in a body given to it by God, it can perform noble deeds. When the life of the body ends, the soul returns to where it came from. But as soon as during his bodily life a person happily fulfilled the commandments of Gd, was a righteous person, his soul will return to the Creator, rising even more.

There are people whose bodily life is long, and there are those whose body dies young. Sometimes children die too. Many therefore ask: why did the Almighty give one longevity, and condemn the other to "untimely death"? This question, for all its seeming logic, is based on a misunderstanding of the meaning of bodily life and the meaning of the immortality of the soul. What is "untimely death"? For whom is it "timeless"? And when is death in general "timely"? At sixty years old? Eighty? Maybe a hundred and twenty?

The bottom line is that, releasing the soul to earth, Gd entrusts it with a certain mission; each - its own. Accordingly, He measures each soul and the period of stay in the body - the period that is necessary to complete the mission. Someone is given three days, someone - three months, someone - decades. Then each messenger returns home, to his family - to his heavenly Father. The main thing, therefore, is not how long a person lived in his bodily hypostasis, but whether he was able to fulfill everything during his earthly existence for which Gd sent him into this world.

Of course, our common desire is for a person to live long. This is natural: we do not know what “task” Gd gave him, so let him have more time to properly cope with his case. It is important that a person's life be fulfilled, that he obey the commandments, that he be happy. But the most important thing is that the earthly life released to him by the Gspod becomes a guarantee of his worthy existence in eternal life. Of course, for people the death of a loved one is always inexpressibly difficult, but understanding that the death of the body is not the death of the soul should ease their suffering.

The sages of the Jewish people said: "The earthly world is like a hallway in front of the throne room." The meaning of their metaphor is that bodily life is just a preparation for the eternal life of the soul in the palaces of God. It is known that many of our righteous people turned to Gd with a special prayer - so that for their actions they would be rewarded not in this world, but in the future. For the dwelling of the immortal soul on earth is transient, but its life in the world to come, before the face of the Heavenly Father, is eternal. Why change the temporary reward for the one that will always be with you ?!

In the Torah, in the book "Courtyard", there is one unusual commandment - "sending from the nest." If a person sees a bird sitting on eggs and wants to take the egg, he must first drive the bird away so that it does not see and does not suffer. About the one who will fulfill this commandment, the Torah says: "... His days will last." At first glance, it sounds like the promise of a long life. However, the Talmud interprets this phrase differently. It tells about a man who, having decided to fulfill the commandment of "sending from the nest," climbed a tree, but fell off, crashed and died. Where is the long life here? According to the Talmud, the words "... his days will last" means that for fulfilling the commandment a person will receive a reward not here, but "where the days last without end" - in eternal life. Therefore, the reward will also be eternal.

One more thing. We are all waiting for the coming of Moshiach. The Talmud says that in the days of Moshiach, the dead will rise from their graves. Our sages explain: it is about the rebirth of the soul. The soul will be reborn in the body, and already forever. In the region of the back of the head, each of us has a bone called "pocket": when Moshiach comes, Gd will "build up" his old body around it. And this body will be healthy, strong, and will not grow old any more.

The underdogs have long scoffed at the prediction of the Talmud, calling it "an invention of dark people." The Jewish sages answered them: the Almighty was able to create man out of nothing, out of dust; could he really not be able to recreate it from his own remains?

Small believers, who once imagined themselves to be "advanced people", now turned out to be ignorant, and our wise men were absolutely right. Look - scientists are growing human organs from stem cells, cloning animals! Even if people are able to “build up” a body from one cell, then what can we say about the Creator of all living things ...

So, our present life is just a short period of time on the threshold of eternal life. But this is an immensely important gap. It is the accomplishments in transitory life that determine our eternal future. Righteous deeds in the mortal world will not remain without reward from Gd in the world to come. However, the one who does not use the chance given to him by his Father here and now, who chases after fleeting "joys", takes more than gives - he risks remaining forever in a hut covered with straw. Like that short-sighted rich man ...

Chief Rabbi of Russia Berl Lazar

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