When I travel I often visit a museum.
View the Slideshow.
Why?
This past Thanksgiving my family and I journeyed to New York
City. The week was dreary—cold with rain, sometimes turning into face-stinging
sleet. In short, a perfect time to see The Cloisters. Part of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, the museum sits like a medieval castle on top of a hill
overlooking the Hudson River. The immense grounds have the feel of a
countryside, rather than being in the nation’s largest city.
The winter darkness created a contemplative mood. The
collections of the museum feature Medieval European works, which focus on the
religious, and include sculpture, stained glass, tapestries, painting,
manuscript illumination, and metalwork.
Looking through the artifacts my daughter asked me about Lilith.
Remember Adam’s first wife before Eve in the Garden of Eden?
Me neither.
In Jewish
folklore, from the 8th–10th century Alphabet
of Ben Sira onwards,
Lilith becomes Adam's first wife, who was created at the same time (Rosh Hashanah) and from the same earth as Adam. This contrasts
with Eve, who was created from one of Adam's ribs. The legend was greatly developed
during the Middle Ages, in the tradition of Aggadic midrashim, the Zohar, and Jewish
mysticism. In the 13th
century writings of Rabbi Isaac ben Jacob ha-Cohen, for example, Lilith left
Adam after she refused to become subservient to him and then would not return
to the Garden of
Eden after she mated with
archangel Samael.
I was reminded we
are never too old to learn. In my own writing I am l learning I haven’t
developed my evil characters well enough. The author Margaret Coel
advises the antagonist should be as well developed as the protagonist. What
better example than Lilith? She is a complex character, Adam’s equal, who
leaves the Garden to be replaced by the younger Eve. Lilith is the original
member of the First Wives Club, along with the embodiment of evil.
People of the
Middle Ages spent much of their time, resources and energy on their spiritual
lives and the hereafter. While modern society offers a much longer and more comfortable
lifespan, I was reminded we can get so focused on daily living we forget the
bigger picture.
Do we spend
enough time in contemplation? Have we contributed enough to our community? What
legacies do we want to leave behind?
