A Bad Case of the Festschrifts

Did I just hear you say festschrift? If so, STEP AWAY from that book. This is your final warning! For all you regular folk, I am sure I need not remind you the meaning of this malevolent word. To eliminate confusion, a festschrift, is quite simply a book written as tribute to a respected person.

Now why would I be using such potty language as festschrift here on such a respectable venue? I'll tell why. I am here to cry out and save your precious souls from engaging in what clearly must be the work of the devil himself. Let me digress and tell you how this all came about.

I had found the words of the Lord through his modern day prophet or as he is humbly known- Chief Rabbi of the UK R. Jonathan Sacks. I might add that his youtube videos are quite profound and deeply rewarding- so seek and ye shall find the Lords wisdom in his work. I bought R. Sack's Covenant and Conversation which gives Torah for the weekly portion. Three thumbs up. Then I chanced upon a book called Radical Responsibility which had his picture on the cover so I swiped it up only later to realize the folly of my simple ways.

When I began the introduction, I was hexed by the 8-fold mentioning of that accursed word 'festschrift'. Being the responsible reader that I am I looked up the word and realized that R. Sacks did not write this but some other brainiacs from the academia world decided to get their highfalutin philosophical mumbo jumbo printed on the back of R. Sacks. Say it with me kids:WASTE- OF- TIME. There was one good article that unfolded in R. Sacksien style of sensitive reading of the texts to uncover deep truths and meaning (Regarding the story of Achan in the book of Joshua relating to collective responsibility but that's for another time).

Just after completing the book, my father-in-law gave me a book to read. Now I'm-a-gonna give you but one guess which word was in the very first sentence of that book and if you say 'festschrift' I'm-a-gonna knock you between your schrifty eyes but you would be right.

But have I learned my lesson? NO! I read the whole damn thing cramping the whole way. Eliminate me now. There were a few worthy articles but as a whole it should've been relegated to the world of doctoral dissertations and academic research. I need stuff that so inspires me that I would actually want to share it with my wife, my kids, and the one who really has got my backside- my proctologist.

So as per my doctors orders, if you don't want a pain in the ass, flush that festschrift right outta your system.