Reflections on Hope

One of our friends we met in Jerusalem this year sent us a letter that went out from the Dean of Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem, Rabbi Michael Marmur. In it, he wrote about optimism and about hope. I appreciate his reflections about hope, and the introduction to its many other meanings in Hebrew. Here are some pieces of his letter...

"I have been thinking a lot this year about the important distinction between Optimism and Hope. The two are often confused, but they are profoundly different. To be optimistic means to believe that everything is heading towards a happy ending. To have hope means to believe that whatever happens, a way of coping and building towards the future may be found.

Some of us just seem to be hard-wired for optimism, convinced that things will work out well. In my experience, the optimists and the pessimists are separated by personality rather than intelligence. Some folks wake up in the morning with a Wow! and others with an Oy!

Hope is different. The Hebrew word for Hope, Tikvah, has two possible origins. Some suggest that it is linked to the word for a pool, connected to a Mikveh, a ritual bath. Hope is a resource, a pool, a solace, and a support... There is another possible etymology for the Hebrew word Tikvah: it is connected to a cord or thread. The famous red thread which makes an appearance in the Book of Joshua is called a Tikvah. If the first meaning of the word looks to sources of support, the second kind of hope is symbolized by a thin thread leading from a complicated present to a possible future.

Even when hope seems as flimsy as a thread, it is still there. Make sure you hang on to it, and don't let go!"

Thank you, Rabbi. Especially for the idea that no matter what happens, with hope we'll make it through life's greatest challenges.