<html><body>Well, with luck, this third part will take off also!<div><br></div><div>Bob</div><div><br></div><div><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Jesus was transfigured precisely so that people could be moved, could be shown that there <b><span style="text-decoration-line: underline;">IS</span></b> Glory in life, <b><span style="text-decoration-line: underline;">GOD’S</span></b> Glory, and that it’s up to us now to tell others about it, it’s up to us to <b><span style="text-decoration-line: underline;">DO</span></b> something about it.</span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This week, on his blog, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks wrote, “<span style="margin: 0px;">A young American, living in Japan to study aikido, was sitting one afternoon in a train in the suburbs of Tokyo. The carriage was half empty. There were some mothers with children, and elderly people going shopping.</span><span style="color: rgb(82, 82, 82); margin: 0px;"></span></span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Then at one of the stations, the doors opened, and a man staggered into the carriage, shouting, drunk, dirty, and aggressive. He started cursing the people, and lunged at a woman holding a baby. The blow hit her and sent her into the lap of an elderly couple. They jumped up and ran to the other end of the carriage. This angered the drunk, who went after them, grabbing a metal pole and trying to wrench it out of its socket. It was a dangerous situation, and the young student readied himself for a fight.</span><span style="color: rgb(82, 82, 82); font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"></span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Before he could do so, however, a small, elderly man in his seventies, dressed in a kimono, shouted ‘Hey’ to the drunk in a friendly manner. ‘Come here and talk to me.’ The drunk came over, as if in a trance. ‘Why should I talk to you?’ he said.</span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“‘What have you been drinking?’ asked the old man.</span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“‘Sake,’ he said, ‘and it’s none of your business!’</span><span style="color: rgb(82, 82, 82); font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"></span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“‘Oh that’s wonderful,’ said the old man. ‘You see, I love sake too. Every night, me and my wife (she’s 76, you know), we warm up a little bottle of sake and take it out into the garden and we sit on an old wooden bench. We watch the sun go down, and we look to see how our persimmon tree is doing. My great-grandfather planted that tree …’</span><span style="color: rgb(82, 82, 82); font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"></span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“As he continued talking, gradually the drunk’s face began to soften and his fists slowly unclenched. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘I love persimmons too.’</span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>‘And I’m sure,’ said the old man, smiling, ‘you have a wonderful wife.’</span><span style="color: rgb(82, 82, 82); font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"></span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“‘No,’ replied the drunk. ‘My wife died.’</span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;">“Gently, he began to sob. ‘I don’t got no <i>wife</i>. I don’t got no <i>home</i>. I don’t got no <i>job</i>. I’m so <i>ashamed</i> of myself.’ Tears rolled down his cheeks.</span><span style="color: rgb(82, 82, 82); font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"></span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“As the train arrived at the student’s stop and he was leaving the train, he heard the old man sighing sympathetically, ‘My, my. This is a difficult predicament indeed. Sit down here and tell me about it.’ In the last glimpse he saw of them, the drunk was sitting with his head in the old man’s lap. The man was softly stroking his hair.” <sup>4</sup></span><span style="color: rgb(82, 82, 82); font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"></span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><b><span style="text-decoration-line: underline;">THIS</span></b> is why Jesus was transfigured, and continues to be transfigured: for you, and for me, and for everyone in the world – even for the cows and the cowherds.</span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 13.33px;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px;"> </span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 13.33px;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px;">NOTES:</span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 16px; margin: 0px;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><i><span style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px;">“Transfiguration of Christ” </span></i><span style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px;">by<i> </i>Giovanni by Bellini, d. 1516.<i>,</i> from <strong><span style="margin: 0px;">Art in the Christian Tradition</span></strong>, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. </span><a target="_blank" href="http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=46565"><span style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"></span></span></a><a target="_blank" href="http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=46565">http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=46565</a></span><span style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px;"> </span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">2</span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><i>“Introduction”</i> from <i>“The Second Epistle to the Corinthians”</i> by C, K. Barrett, Adam & Charles Black, London, Great Britain, © 1973, page 6.</span></span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 13.33px;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px;"> </span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;">3</span></span><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“</span><i style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;">New York Today: Kelly Hall-Tompkins, a New Yorker of the Year” <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-size: 13.33px; letter-spacing: 0.26px; margin: 0px;"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/column/ny-today-daily-briefings"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px;">New York Today</span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 13.33px; letter-spacing: 0.2px; margin: 0px;">by <a target="_blank" title="More Articles by ALEXANDRA S. LEVINE" href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/alexandra-s-levine"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px;">ALEXANDRA S. LEVINE</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px;"> </span></a>DEC. 27, 2017 </span><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"><a target="_blank" href="http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=pMJKdIFVI6pghfX2HXfSzxRpdoyDWYNWftnS2EhDhGY2ljtZxEsmTwj6Ox/sz5DBphnNoxno6tA7s6dYYWnTwlK8ZMdLj41X+t4tSZ6gx4ieiJaCkWrzVRSOH8MoQ/bfUDdyJ8N7bN/kD8mk6Y/6/ifi0Eocin1FdaWEtpPcceSyRWvyXY3GsALT6cAkfEZ/7vIRZcrkLNs=&campaign_id=61&instance_id=110815&segment_id=120099&user_id=13776d46e58cd1c84bbfacad680c03b7®i_id=63205127"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"></span></a><a target="_blank" href="http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=pMJKdIFVI6pghfX2HXfSzxRpdoyDWYNWftnS2EhDhGY2ljtZxEsmTwj6Ox/sz5DBphnNoxno6tA7s6dYYWnTwlK8ZMdLj41X+t4tSZ6gx4ieiJaCkWrzVRSOH8MoQ/bfUDdyJ8N7bN/kD8mk6Y/6/ifi0Eocin1FdaWEtpPcceSyRWvyXY3GsALT6cAkfEZ/7vIRZcrkLNs=&campaign_id=61&instance_id=110815&segment_id=120099&user_id=13776d46e58cd1c84bbfacad680c03b7®i_id=63205127">http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=pMJKdIFVI6pghfX2HXfSzxRpdoyDWYNWftnS2EhDhGY2ljtZxEsmTwj6Ox/sz5DBphnNoxno6tA7s6dYYWnTwlK8ZMdLj41X+t4tSZ6gx4ieiJaCkWrzVRSOH8MoQ/bfUDdyJ8N7bN/kD8mk6Y/6/ifi0Eocin1FdaWEtpPcceSyRWvyXY3GsALT6cAkfEZ/7vIRZcrkLNs=&campaign_id=61&instance_id=110815&segment_id=120099&user_id=13776d46e58cd1c84bbfacad680c03b7®i_id=63205127</a></span><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"></span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"> </span></p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-family: OpenSansRegular, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;">4</span></span><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;">Adapted from “<i>The Power of a Positive No</i>,” by William Ury, Hodder Mobius, 2007, 77-80, quoted by Rabbi Lord </span><span style="font-size: 13.33px; margin: 0px;">Jonathan Sacks in <i>“The Power of Empathy”</i>Wednesday 7<sup>th</sup> February, 2018 <a target="_blank" href="http://rabbisacks.org/power-empathy-mishpatim-5778/"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"></span></a><a target="_blank" href="http://rabbisacks.org/power-empathy-mishpatim-5778/">http://rabbisacks.org/power-empathy-mishpatim-5778/</a></span> <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></p></div><div><br></div></body></html>