MY VISIT TO THE YAD VASHEM

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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“At the entrance to the museum, the origin of Nazism was summarized on a large board. At the beginning, Nazism was illegal, and Hitler was imprisoned. While he was in jail, he wrote the book Mein Kampf, which became the ideological basis for the ascent of the Nazism. Maybe the words contained in that book vibrated harmfully, polluted the air, and later they triggered a wave of anti-Semitism, I thought.
“At that moment, I thought of Erez. In my mind I saw him at his kibbutz by the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He cast a stone against the trunk of a tree and said, ‘Look at this stone. First it hits the tree, then it bounces and strikes the grass, and finally it lands on the ground. Three effects derive from one action. The same is true of words. Words have vibrations. They trigger a chain reaction when they pass from mouth to mouth or from ear to ear.’
“I went around the museum with Anne, who looked a little bit less pale. ‘Do you know that words can give rise to life or death?’ I asked. ‘Yes, I heard about that in a lecture. It was held in Hebrew, and I couldn’t understand everything, for my Hebrew wasn’t good, but I caught the gist of the lecture. Yes, words can create or destroy something.’ ‘Anne, do you think words can cause bad events?’ ‘Yes, I do. If we speak negative words all the time, it can create bad situations in our life, and vice versa. So, to be happy we need to speak positive words.’

This is an excerpt from The Vibrations of Words: second edition by Ettore Grillo
Ettore Grillo author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
-Travels of the Mind
http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

THE PRECEPTS THAT NON-JEWS HAVE TO OBSERVE

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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Non-Jews have to observe seven precepts, but we Jews have to observe six hundred thirteen precepts!’
“I looked at Erez with astonishment. He stood up and took out a pen and a sheet of paper from the drawer of the desk. ‘Now, hold this pen in your hand and write down the seven precepts that non-Jews have to observe. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not have sex with your family members. Do not have sex with animals. Do not eat parts of animals that are still alive. Do not worship other gods but God. Do not worship idols. Do not curse the  name of God. Build law courts in your country,’ Erez said.”
“Uncle Salvatore, the precepts are nine not seven. Why did Erez say seven precepts?”
“I guess that the precepts that had similar contents, that is, those regarding God, were grouped into one. At that time I didn’t notice how many they were.”
“After writing down the seven precepts, I was doubtful about the seventh precept. ‘I think law courts are places where people quarrel. In the courts of law there are arguments, anger, and hatred. Attorneys argue with each other, and there is also acrimony against the judge whenever one feels that his verdict is unfair. So why should we build new law courts? Instead, they should be abolished,’ I said. ‘No. It’s not like that. It is necessary that a third person judges. If law courts didn’t exist, people would kill one another, for everybody would think he is right. Without law and judges, humanity wouldn’t progress and people couldn’t settle their quarrels. To these seven precepts I want to add one special precept for you.’
“I listened to Erez and was enchanted by him. His hair and beard were dark chestnut, and his face resembled Jesus’s more and more. Then he spoke, ‘Listen to this eighth precept carefully. It is never to say bad words about anybody when they are absent and can’t defend themselves. Your words, both spoken and written, should be positive, not destructive or defamatory. I emphasize the importance of this eighth precept, for words contain vibrations and have consequences all the time.’

This is an excerpt from The Vibrations of Words: second edition by Ettore Grillo
Ettore Grillo author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
-Travels of the Mind
http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

IMPURITIES COME OUT OF THE MOUTH

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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“Feeling that Rajan was learned, I began to ask him more deep questions: ‘What does it mean that the eldest son walks three times around the pyre and spills water?’ ‘In every culture water is a symbol of purification. In this case, water purifies the dead person.’ I said, ‘Once I was at the Hindu temple of Pashupati in Kathmandu. It is a holy place for all Hindus. While I was standing there, I watched a body on the pyre by  the bank of the river. The eldest son also performed the ritual of turning around the pyre three times.’ ‘In Hinduism, the rituals are similar, indeed,’ Rajan answered. ‘Yes, but the ritual performed here differs from that in Kathmandu. The eldest son put some fire into the mouth of his dead parent there. At that time, I asked a person who was sitting close to me why the eldest son put fire into the mouth of the corpse. He answered that all impurities come out of the mouth through the words one says. Bad words are impure. For that reason, it was necessary to purify the mouth of the dead person. Why in Pune don’t you purify the mouth of the dead person, too?’ Rayan answered, ‘We do it! The ritual is the same. In Nepal they use fire to purify the mouth, while in Pune we use water. The element is different, but the symbolic meaning doesn’t differ.’

This is an excerpt from The Vibrations of Words: second edition by Ettore Grillo
Ettore Grillo author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
-Travels of the Mind
http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

THE SOUL OF THE BOOK

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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‘Don’t you mind if your book is unpublished? Giuseppe and Umberto are sad because they can’t succeed in publishing their book.’ ‘No, I don’t. I will leave my manuscript in the bookcase. Maybe someday some of my descendants will read it and remember me. My heart will remain in my manuscript. The vibrations of my words will resound in the heart of those who will stumble upon my story about Helen of Troy that never went to Troy. The vibrations of my words will last for a long time through my manuscript.’
“Giuseppe was a pragmatic person, so he could hardly understand Maria Paola’s words about vibrations. ‘You are a dreamer, Maria Paola. You live in the future. What matters is the here and now. I want to be famous now, not after my death, as happened to Vincent van Gogh,’ he said. ‘We are different, Giuseppe. Sometimes I feel you have no heart,’  replied Maria Paola.’ ‘I just follow my emotions, not my heart. Life is just emotion! If I feel something, I live it, otherwise I don’t live it. There is no heart in humans. We are driven by pleasant emotions or unpleasant emotions.’ ‘Surely, we can’t get along. We have different ideas! Now I have to go to church.

This is an excerpt from The Vibrations of Words: second edition by Ettore Grillo
Ettore Grillo author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
-Travels of the Mind
http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo