Parsha & Prose: Parshat Ki Tetzei & 'A Farwell to Arms', Rabbi Shlomo Gemara & Avrum Rosensweig (Audio/Visual)

The Avrum Rosensweig Show

In this episode, we dive into the powerful theme of love and romance in times of war. The intriguing concept of Yefat Toar in Parshat Ki Tetze offers a unique lens to view alongside Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, one of the most significant works of World War I literature. We’ll explore how both texts wrestle with desire, morality, and the lasting impact of war. 💠 Before diving into the main themes, we reflect briefly on 9/11, as this podcast was recorded on the anniversary of that tragic day. It offers a moment to remember the devastation and global impact of that event, much like the far-reaching effects of war found in Hemingway's work. 💠 During the podcast, we also delve into some lesser-known aspects of Hemingway's life. He spent about three years in Toronto, where he worked as a reporter for the Toronto Star from 1920 to 1923, a period that shaped his journalistic style and contributed to his literary minimalism. Later, Hemingway would go on to win prestigious international prizes, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953 for The Old Man and the Sea and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954 for his mastery of narrative. 💠 Interestingly, Rabbi Gemara finds subtle hints in A Farewell to Arms that reflect Hemingway’s own troubled end—his tragic suicide in 1961. The bleakness and the sense of inevitable loss in the novel echo the darkness that Hemingway himself struggled with throughout his life. Amazingly enough, our sages saw a similar trajectory in the Torah’s story of Yefat Toar. They viewed the story of the rebellious son, ben sorer u'moreh, as the tragic culmination of the Yefat Toar narrative, where unchecked desire and moral compromise lead to inevitable sorrow and destruction. These parallels between the novel and the Torah offer a profound reflection on the human condition, war, and the consequences of desire. 💠 Join us as we unpack these parallel narratives, their take on love in the chaos of war, and the challenging questions they raise about morality, human desire, and the cost of survival. The episode is sponsored by The Professional Centre. www.theprofessionalcentre.com