One Thousand and One Nights<\/em> tells stories that keep her alive. So long as the king is enchanted by what comes next, night after night, he will ensure her safety.<\/p>\nWhen contemplating the astonishing survival of the Jewish people I sometimes think of Scheherazade. There is a great deal of emphasis on Jewish law and interpretation and text and ritual. But history — the Jewish story — is an ever branching tree that has flourished for thousands of years. “And you shall tell your children” we are admonished over and over again. Our story sustains us.<\/p>\n
The story is always changing. We uncover new bits and change some old ones. A fragment is unearthed, a memory recalled, a new angle lends freshness to a familiar tale. At times popular recounting and historical accuracy do not precisely mesh. Yet through it all the thread of narrative — these things happened, you should remember them, you should repeat them to those who come after — wraps itself around the hearts of generations.<\/p>\n
As the British writer Philip Pullman said; \u201c’Thou shalt not’ might reach the head but it takes ‘Once upon a time’ to reach the heart.” We are the Jewish people — let us tell you a story.<\/p>\n
(Rabbi David Wolpe is the senior rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles.)<\/em><\/p>\n
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