Julian Ungar-Sargon

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Daf Ditty

A wide-ranging commentary on the daily page of Talmud.

Taanit 21: "It's All For The Best" Really?

jyungar December 3, 2021

For the source text click/tap here: Taanit 21

To download, click/tap here: PDF

Nachum ish Gam Zu was called this way because he was accustomed to saying "That, too, (gam zu) is for the best." Once the Jews needed to send a gift of precious pearls to the Roman emperor. They chose Nachum ish Gam Zu, because "he is used to miracles happen on his behalf." On the road, people at an inn exchanged the precious stones in his chest for dirt from the house. In the morning, when Nachum saw it, he said "This, too, is for the best," and continued on his way, to present it to the emperor. When the latter saw the dirt, he was enraged, "Jew are mocking me!" and decided to kill them all. Nachum said, "That, too, is for the best."

We explore the notion that "all is for the best" and the problems this faith based claim caused in history most prominently in the philosophical debate following the Lisbon Earthquake in 1775 (Voltaire vs Leibnitz).

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Julian Ungar-Sargon

This is Julian Ungar-Sargon's personal website. It contains poems, essays, and podcasts for the spiritual seeker and interdisciplinary aficionado.​