Guest Post from Arthur Yavelberg (A Theology for the Rest of Us) for Valentine's Day: Do You Love Me?
Do You Love Me? Arthur Yavelberg "Do you love me? Most people see such a question and assume it comes from some starry-eyed young person, thrilled with emotion but quivering that the feelings are not mutual. Depending on the experiences of the reader, the reactions might range from a nostalgic "How sweet!" to the hardened "How stupid!" to the cynical "How naive!" There might even be the analytical "Once again the Darwinian drive to perpetuate the species rears its ugly head." As it turns out, the question is posed by a wizened, abjectly poor Jewish farmer to his equally wizened wife of some 25 years. In the musical, “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tevye and Goldie are contemplating the arranged marriage of the first of their five daughters in the pogrom-ridden, Russian village of Anatevka around the turn of the century. They are wrinkled, rather shapeless, shabbily dressed and, maybe worst of all, just oh so tired...