The Visitation of Hannah Arendt

182 Pages·2020·0.978 MB·English

by  Michal Ben-Naftali

Michal Ben-Naftali
The Visitation of Hannah Arendt
Perspectives on Jewish Texts
and Contexts
Edited by
Vivian Liska
Editorial Board
Robert Alter, Steven E. Aschheim, Richard I. Cohen, Mark H. Gelber,
Moshe Halbertal, Christine Hayes, Moshe Idel, Samuel Moyn,
Ada Rapoport-Albert, Alvin Rosenfeld, David Ruderman, Bernd Witte
Volume 13
Michal Ben-Naftali
The Visitation of
Hannah Arendt
Published in Hebrew by the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute and
Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House, 2006.
Translated from Hebrew by Mirjam Hadar.
ISBN 978-3-11-066309-9
e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-066347-1
e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-066430-0
ISSN 2199-6962
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020933296
Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie;
detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.
© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Printing and binding: CPI books GmbH, Leck
Cover image and frontispiece: Pontormo (Carucci, Jacopo called 1494-1556): Visitation (post
2014 restoration). Carmignano, San Michele. © 2020. Photo Scala, Florence
www.degruyter.com

Contents
Chapter 1 Visitation 1
Chapter 2 Rahel’s Dream 12
Chapter 3 The Visitation of Dahlia Ravikovitch 44
Chapter 4 An Anonymous Hand in the Middle 57
Chapter 5 Mother Tongue|Body Language: 72
Chapter 6 Stefan Zweig 107
Chapter 7 The Visitation of Michal, Daughter of Saul 146
Bibliography 173

Chapter 1
Visitation
1.
On receiving the Annunciation from the archangel Gabriel, the Virgin Mary
learns that her aging relative Elizabeth, too, infertile until then, is six months
pregnant. Mary decides to pay her a visit.The reason for this visit is not men-
tioned. All this happens,writes Jean-Luc Nancy (2001a), as though the miracle
had to be confirmed twice over,by means of two mysterious and inconceivable
pregnancies. Mary’s “visitation” with Elizabeth comes close on the heels of the
archangel’s, and before that, God’s visitation; resonating them. It also inaugu-
rates a broad semantic field, reminding us of the Biblical Hebrew root P.K.D.
[דקפ]–visit,befall–whichmovesbetweentheextremesoffavorableanddisa-
greeableremembering;betweenrecompenseandpunishment;betweenpresence
and absence. “Visitation” connotes scrutiny, experiencing something, and ren-
dering yourself account of the experience or the trial.
God visits Elizabeth and Mary.Way back in the past he had visited Sarah,
wife of Abraham.The book of Genesis sets down two principles of origin: the
principleofspiritandtheprincipleofflesh,theprincipleofSarahandtheprin-
cipleofHagar.Thetensionbetweenthesetwoprinciplescausedtheveryideaof
thefamilytotearapart.¹ThegospelofLuke,however,whichdocumentsthevis-
itation, erases any such antagonism. Not only is God present in the womb of
both women, but they both believe that each of them, both herself as well as
the other, has the power to give life. “And it happened,when Elizabeth heard
thegreetingofMarythatthebabeleapedinherwomb;andElizabethwasfilled
with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and
said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to
me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears,the
babe leaped in my womb for joy’ “ (Luke:41–44).
Where and whence does all this come to pass? What is the source of preg-
nancy,oflight?Howdoweapproach asublime region,beyond memory,before
birth? Where is the topos or atopos where natality is born, a spiritual, mental
 Galatians4:22,NJKV:“ForitiswrittenthatAbrahamhadtwosons,onebyaslavewomanand
onebyafreewoman.Butthesonoftheslavewasbornaccordingtotheflesh,whilethesonof
thefreewomanwasbornthroughpromise.”
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110663471-001
2 Chapter1Visitation
place-without-place, a complexcombination of voices and devotion,vision and
awe? Near Elizabeth’s house,out in the open, and perhaps near us,amongus?
In his depiction ofthis scene,the Italianpainter Pontormo’s knowinghand
and listening heart (“The Visitation”, 1528–1530) submerge us all at once, far
away from theological and dogmatic constraints, into the very bowels of the
painting,thekeysofcreation.Thewomen’sarmsembracing,thedelicatelyintent
clasping of hands, their bellies hardly touching, the torrent of textiles, colors
flowingtogetherandapart,thefeetliftingfromthegroundasindance,suspend-
edandstatic;thegoldenendsofMary’slocksdefiantlypeepingoutfromunder
hercoif.Andmorethananything,thegaze,submersioninthegaze,eyetoeye,
drawing in all the senses.Conception occurs in the gaze.
Butthisdepictionofthevisitationincludestwoadditionalfigures–theserv-
ants.Theyarecopies,itwouldseem,oftheirmistresses–theyaretheirage,wear
theirhairsimilarly,andaredressedinthesamecolors.Butthisiswheresimilar-
itiesend.Thecopyafterallistheuncannydoubleoftheorigin,theuncannypo-
tentialofthevisitation.Theservantsarenotpregnant.Elizabeth’sservantispart
of the triangle,while Mary’s pulls its axis to the left of the painting.They look
neither at each other nor at their mistresses. Both look us directly in the face.
Their gaze challenges us and might be trying to lock with ours. Though the
younger servant’s gaze is perhaps more inviting and illuminated than the
more serious look of the other, older one, neither reveals her feelings.What do
their expressions seek to convey? A respect for the intense intimacy they wit-
ness?Embarrassment,resignation,fatalism,yearning,terror?Aretheyexcluded
fromthevisitation,inthefullestsenseoftheword?Onthecontrary:foritisonly
through them, as we return their gaze, that we enter the picture. No one, it
seems, is barred from this visitation. This embrace brings together the whole
church,theentireflock,thefullcommunity,thoughitassignsmembersverydif-
ferent roles – roles they themselves don’t yet know.
2.
Sometimes,inthecourseofreading,awriterbecomesacompanion,asifmaking
a protracted visit, then vanishing as suddenly as he appeared. This real and
phantom author-hero seems sensitive to his reader’s vital motions; he besets
thereader’sdays,thoughts,perceptions,theorderhekeepsaswellashisdisor-
ders,leadinghimalongwayfromtheveryconstraintsthateventuallyinjureand
immobilizehimtoo,inspiteofhimself.Thisbondgentlyemergesafterthetute-
lage stage, during which the pupil copies out quotations and avoids summary
explications;hedoesnotwishtomissameaning,tolosesightoftheponderous