Feeling the Void of Darkness

FEELING THE VOID OF DARKNESS

Darkness fills the room. What am I feeling? Fear, like a dark void.

"Everything's gonna be okay." But no miracle will show.

If fear is inside, how would I feel my own happiness?

Reflective Writing on The Story of Ruth

THE STORY OF RUTH

Introduction

The story of Ruth is a story that comes from the Hebrew Bible and is included in the third division or the Writings of the Bible. The story follows about a Moabitess woman named Ruth, who was married to Mahlon, who is one of the two sons of Naomi, their mother, and their deceased father or Naomi's husband, Elimelech. After both sons and Elimelech died, Naomi and her two daughters-in-law decided to go back to Bethlehem, but Naomi asked Orpah to go back to her home yet Ruth wanted to stay with her, after her husband just passed away. Ruth then met a man named Boaz, who was her husband's closest male relative, and Naomi suggests that she should marry him because it was Jewish Custom to have the widow to marry their closest male relative. After reading the story, there were a few questions that were circulating in my head. Those questions are different, but one question has really got me wondering if it still happens today: "Is the Jewish Custom to marry a childless widow to the closest male relative?" Everything in my head is circling around that question.

In this blog of mine, I will be talking about my opinion about the custom that happened in the story and how the story is being related in what today's world is now.

BODY

The Judge Shamgar slaughters 600
men with an ox goad.
From a medieval German manuscript

In the story, it mentions that Israel is being ruled by judges before. According to Wikipedia.com, there were judges called the Biblical Judges, which were described in the Hebrew Bible, and mostly in the Book of Judges. They're people who served roles as military leaders in times of crisis, in the period before an Israelite monarchy was established. A cyclical pattern is regularly recounted in the Book of Judges to show the need for the various judges: apostasy of the, hardship brought on as punishment from God, crying out the Lord for rescue.

About the thing that Ruth said to her mother-in-law - "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me" - actually came from the actual bible and is known as Ruth 1:16-17.

Judah and Tamar, by Rembrandt (1650s).
An early example of aYibbum-like practice
is the biblical story of Judah and Tamar.

The part when Naomi told her daughter-in-law about Boaz being their closest male relative in the family, he should marry her since it was a Jewish custom for a widow to marry her husband’s closest male relative after he passed away. Now, this was a true custom in Judaism and it is called Yibbum or Levirate Marriage. It is also said to be one of the most complex types of marriages mandated by Torah law by which, according to the law, the brother of a man who died without children has an obligation to marry the widow. However, if either of the parties refuses to go through with the marriage, both are required to go through a ceremony known as halizah, involving a symbolic act of renunciation of their right to perform this marriage. Jewish law has seen a gradual decline of yibbum in favor of halizah, to the point where in most contemporary Jewish communities, and in Israel by mandate of the Chief Rabbinate, the former is prohibited.

Though, the concept of yibbum is not unique to Judaism. Known as levirate marriage (when the marriage is to the deceased’s brother) or widow inheritance (when it is to any surviving male relative), has been practiced by other societies with a strong clan structure. It is or was known in societies including Punjabis, Jats, Huns, Mongols, and Tibetans. In my honest opinion, I don't agree with this kind of custom to people, because if you marry the closest male relative, you won't get to marry the person you really have the most time. You enjoy the company of that person your whole entire life, and if you were to marry your family's closest male relative, then that relationship with that special someone your whole entire life will change. In short, I disagree with this being a custom to some people, but there are people that still do this custom.

But is levirate marriage still practicing today? Well, it is still being practiced today in Orthodoxy, but the policy is not to have the couple marry. The custom came from the Bronze age custom of supporting a childless widow who had no claim on her husband’s estate, and no means of supporting herself. A woman who might be infertile (they had no idea in that time whose ‘fault’ it was that no kids happened) was unlikely to marry again. Therefore, kindness allowed the woman a second shot at a married life. Today, childless widows have claim on their husband’s estate and can support themselves. So the custom is no longer carried out, outside a ceremony of release.

CONCLUSION

After what happened in the story, I have to come a realization that the childless widows who follow along with levirate marriage don't have a choice. The childless widows need to find someone else, instead of their closest male relative, so they can express their love and support for each other and for the family as well. And the fact that Ruth didn't want to go back to her home and decided to stay with her mother-in-law is because she cares deeply for her and wanted to be with her forever until they die, as stated in what she said to her and what is says in the bible. Love always require a second chance and I know it for some other people, especially if your loved one passed away into the afterlife, but just know that they'll always be there.

REFERENCES

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Ruth

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yibbum

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_judges

-https://www.quora.com/Is-the-levirate-marriage-system-still-practiced-in-Judaism-Ive-seen-an-interesting-film-about-this-called-Loving-Leah

Autobiographical Incident

Internet Changes Everyone's Lives

An Autobiographical Incident

By Hanna Joan H. Alusin

"The internet changed my attitude."

Ever since the year 2013. I had no idea what to do with my life. I don't know what to become and how much I want to entertain myself with. That was the time I didn't know too much about technology, aside from owning a computer yet not using it.

"Hanna, wanna play a game on my phone?" My Ate said.

She eventually showed me a game on her phone and I didn't know what to expect, so I decided to start playing the game. A few days later, I was becoming addicted to the game and that is where I was introduced into the world of the Internet. There, I started watching videos from content creators on YouTube and watching anime, as well. But as the years go by, I started to change my attitude towards other people. I became anti-social. Some people were asking me;

"What happened to you?"

And I said, "The internet changed me."

These days, people are being more into the internet and that, every person has became anti-social and not connecting more with one another in real life. That has become who I am, because of the internet, and everything is never as it seems.

An Open Letter to Parents

Open Letter to Parents

Whatever you must do, you must do the things like working and caring for the needs of your child. Things like money are important, so that your child can have their education in a school and needing the valuable things for them to continue on with their studies. Even if the kids today are focusing on the new technology and the internet, you, the parents, tell them to lessen their time on technology, and prioritizing their studies and education. Sure, there are ups and downs, arguments here and there, but know this, you are raising and helping your child to make them who they want to be.

But what will you be doing? Of course, you have to support your child, in any manner of guidance, chase down the dreams and wishes that they are trying to seek for the future. There would be problems about one another, but they'll always know that they have learned more than three things from you. Anything they do, they will certainly make a path towards it.

From: Sons and Daughters