List Power
I found this wisdom letter from Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff, a retired American naval chaplain, who shared his letter for his daughter with The Times of Israel. He writes the letter in the form of a list. A list simplifies. We are familiar with shopping lists, to-do lists, and wish lists. Resnicoff suggests aiming for “good enough.” This is useful for writing the wisdom letter. “Good enough” is also a life philosophy for someone who needs to get things done. Because this letter is not a school assignment, nobody is assessing your narrative arc, spelling, or grammar. It’s about purposeful living, and what you have learned from your own sojourn on the earth. If you are aiming for a perfect letter, it is likely you will never complete one. A work in progress functions like a pencil draft for what may become a painting. Resnicoff’s structure of a numbered list (perhaps unsurprising for a military man) functions as an accessible form.
It is so much better to have a draft than to have nothing at all. Here is his:
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/open-when-i-die-my-in-progress-ethical-will/
A list can be re-imagined by the content inside. Simple format, serious messaging. I am sharing the last item from the end of the his blog post for The Times of Israel:
“My Bible lesson. When I counsel others to make an ethical will, I recommend to those who value the Bible that they include at least one Bible teaching – and if that is not acceptable, then to include one lesson from a book or teacher whose words have touched their heart. For my life, one of the most important Bible verses comes from the Book of Esther, the book that we Jews read during the festival of Purim. When Esther, the secretly-Jewish queen, must make a decision for the sake of saving the Jewish people – but one that might put her life in danger — she seeks advice from her cousin Mordecai. He tells her that he has faith that God will save our people no matter what she does. But, he asks, what if it is just for this that you were brought to the kingdom? Whenever I face a hard decision, one that might endanger my life (or, more difficult for many: one that might threaten a promotion or career!), I reflect on those words. What if it were just for this moment – for this decision – that I was given life, and brought to this moment in time?”
We think of a list as a tool to complete mundane tasks. But Resnicoff’s list is linked to the pre-modern Jewish ethical wills because he connects his philosophy back to a Jewish text. By linking his blog to the story of Purim, he connects this letter to the tradition of commentary and conversation.
