The Ultimate Both/And

 

I came across one of my favorite quotes yesterday as I was seeking wisdom about silence and Sabbath, two subjects which intrigue and draw me in. Like a long forgotten tucked away note falling out of an old book, these words called me up short:
“The Bible is holiness in words...It is as if God took these Hebrew words and breathed into them of His power, and the words became a live wire charged with His spirit. To this very day they are hyphens between heaven and earth.” Abraham Joshua Heschel, 1955
With so much debate about actual meaning and literalness, with so much pain and oppression caused by lines drawn and power imposed, Heschel offers a living breathing creative option. 
What happens at the hyphen? the often forgotten little line which may conjoin instead of separate. If we read onto the hyphens of life both-and instead of either-or, we change everything. Life and hope open. Possibilities prevail.
The Bible becomes the living Word, never static, never fixed, ever evolving. The essential Love and Truth are the interpreters. Holiness is the grace we honor. The Bible the sacramental Both/And.

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