Eli and Hannah, and stopping acting like a schmuck

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It's Rosh Hashanah again. It seems unlikely, I know, but it has been a year since the last one. I'm not feeling very Days-of-Awe-ish at the moment, what with it being tech week and also the first full week of the semester, but it's Rosh Hashanah anyway.

The thing I noticed in services today—it's my hope that I will always notice something—was from the Haftarah, the story from 1 Samuel about Hannah. It's a wonderful story in many, many ways, but what I noticed today was when Eli has made a terrible error, accusing Hannah of drunkenness when she is only carried away by grief and longing, he doesn't get defensive, or argue, or insist that it was her fault. He acted like a schmuck, and then he found out he had been acting like a schmuck, and while it would be nice if the Scripture recorded that he had, y'know, apologized, what he does say is Go in peace, and the Gd of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. It's not a perfect response, and given a few thousand years to consider, it can be improved on. But you know, when someone points out that you've been acting like a schmuck, it's a difficult thing to stop. I wish I were as good at it as Eli is here.

I hope you all are inscribed in the Book of Life for a good year, a healthy year, a happy year, a sweet year.

Tolerabimus quod tolerare debemus,
-Vardibidian.

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