Shir: Hi! You're on the "Podcast-who-must-not-be-named". I'm Shir Reuven.
Dor: And I'm Dor Saar-Man
Shir: And we're back with an emergency edition, Harry Potter and the Iron Swords, in an attempt to process together, as much as possible, the horrendous events that we've experienced, via this book that we all love, Harry Potter, who also experienced horrendous things.
Dor: In fact, we're returning to four emergency episodes/specials. Each episode will be dedicated to different chapters. And today, in the first emergency episode, we're returning to the fourth book.
Shir: It will be the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh.
Dor: Right, actually we're doing it in order. And we're going back to episodes 32 to 34, meaning "Flesh, Blood and Bone", "The Death Eaters" and the Priori Incantatem", which in other words are the episodes where…
Shir: Voldemort Returns.
Dor: Voldemort Returns, yes, Harry is kidnapped, Cedric Diggory is murdered and Voldemort returns.
Shir: We hope that through this reading, we'll be able to help ourselves, and hopefully, for those who are listening to us, provide something that will help us during this very, very difficult time.
Dor: Definitely, to process something.
So, the first thing I want to address, in light of the events, is that I looked at it from a different perspective. It's truly the moment when Harry, and we as readers essentially, encounter the death of a character we knew, with the murder of a character we knew, which is the murder of Cedric Diggory.
Now, it's not that there hasn't been death in these books before. Harry, from the outset, is an orphan, and we learn that his parents were murdered, but it doesn't unfold in real-time.
and at the beginning of the fourth book, in its chilling opening chapter, we witness the murder of the gardener, reminiscent of a horror movie. However, it doesn't quite compare to encountering someone we truly knew. While Cedric Diggory may not be a central character, he does gain depth in the book. We get to know him, develop an affinity for him – he was, after all, exceptionally decent. The moment of his murder is beautifully crafted by Rowling; Harry is plunged into a state of shock. It happens in an instant, one moment he was there, and the next, he's gone. Nothing of him remains.
And this realization, which takes time to process, that someone was here just a moment ago, and now he is not. As Rowling describes this death, it's a death without expression.
And it's incredibly heartbreaking because in the recent attack, I lost someone who was both my manager and my friend. It's the first time I'm actually losing someone, not a distant older family member or anything like that, but a person who was alive, real, with passions, desires, loves, and actions. His name was Moshe Ohayon.
And in an instant, he's taken away, and that moment of truly expressionless death. There's no way to approach him suddenly. You don't even have... even in this book, it's very prominent that Harry doesn't have real-time to mourn. It's so parallel to what we're experiencing now, that essentially all this terrible death of 1400 people is just the beginning. Right? It's not, it's not the end, it's just another beginning. We don't even have real time to mourn as we should and process it because, in the meantime, we're fighting here for our lives. And we're burying more people in the meantime. And the implications here are so, so difficult.
And in the face of this, amidst Harry's terrible confrontation with this immediate death, of someone who was both his schoolmate and someone he competed with. Amidst this, there's also the initial encounter with Voldemort, even before Voldemort returns in full force, with this kind of deformed baby being held by Wormtail.
And it highlighted for me the truly twisted nature of the initial encounter with Voldemort.
It also struck me suddenly when reflecting on the books. When did Harry truly encounter Voldemort? Not in the third book, but in the first and second books. The first time, Voldemort was this kind of half-being on the back of Quirrell's head, right? Again, something profoundly distorted.
And the second time, when he was some kind of memory, retrospectively some kind of seventh soul, a Horcrux...things that are not by natural means. Again and again, Voldemort, the absolute evil, is revealed through things that defy the natural order, things that break not only the concept of humanity but also the concept, I would say, of life. It's an evil that truly removes Voldemort not just from the human family but from the family of life, right? This strange, twisted baby, something so terrible that it knows no bounds, that it breaks every boundary, and we really don't want to think that it came into the world.
Shir: I agree with you; I primarily think there's a very precise description of terror here. I mean, Harry finds himself in a situation where he's almost entirely powerless, and it catches him by complete surprise.
In a peculiar turn of events, right in his moment of joy, the triumph in the tournament, and to top it off, achieving this success together with Cedric, he is then thrown into this arena of death. And in this grim arena, there's an overwhelming sense of powerlessness, which is the most bewildering aspect of this situation. Throughout the podcast, we've talked a lot about Harry as a post-traumatic figure.
And now we're essentially in the midst of some collective trauma; we're not even "post" yet, we're still fully in the trauma.
And one of the things that repeat themselves again and again, both in this episode and in the stories of people in kibbutzim or, you know... at the party, it's essentially a lack of power. You stand facing death, and Harry stands facing death, and there's nothing you can do to improve your situation.
When Harry is bound and Wormtail takes blood from him to bring Voldemort back to life, he can't do anything. When Harry is immobilized by pain and Wormtail murders Cedric, there's nothing he can do to change it. And this powerlessness, which keeps coming up in testimonies, is a nerve-wracking experience because you see death around you, and you can't do anything, and you know it might come for you in the next moment.
And there's another thing that is emphasized here—that Harry ultimately survives. Now, in the first reading, I looked at it in a literary sense, meaning Harry survives because the love of his parents, even when they are dead, was there to guide him, to tell him what to do. In essence, you know, the idea that is very strong in Harry Potter, that the love of people who are dear to us, even if they are dead, is still with us. They still come back to us. It's something Rowling really emphasizes again and again in various ways.
But now, it's a bit challenging despite knowing it's a good thing to hold onto. It's a bit difficult to think about it because death is so real, and we don't relate to it... from a distance.
And you know, everything now is through a different lens, everything is now filtered, you see a baby, you think about kidnapped babies, everything just reminds you of it.
And I read these chapters and looked at his survival in a much more practical way. I mean, Harry runs, he throws a curse over his shoulder that hits a Death Eater, we don't even know who, he manages to hide behind a gravestone that exploded, he survives because of a series of actions he took that were entirely random, and at the same time, could have led to his death.
It reminds me of another book that I highly recommend, called " Biographic Dialogue" by Yaron London with Ephraim Kishon. Ephraim Kishon tells there how he twice managed to avoid a death march from the Nazis.
It's so random. The first time... I don't remember whether it was the first or second time, but the first time, they were camping somewhere, woke up in the morning, getting ready to leave. He thought, "What if I just pretend to be asleep and don't go with them?" So, he stayed behind, and no one noticed. That's how he escaped the death march. The second time, probably in another death march, they sent him to fetch a bucket of water or empty a bucket, and he thought, "What if I don't come back?" So, he didn't return, and he escaped again.
Why am I telling this? Because what Ephraim Kishon is saying here about death is that death is random, and even surviving is random. This randomness is rooted in a lack of control.
Because when something like that happens, when you're so lacking in control, when Voldemort captures you and is about to kill you, when you're in the march of death, when armed terrorists enter your kibbutz at six in the morning, you lack control. And what's terrible about this lack of control is that the actions you take or don't take might either save or kill you. And you don't know what will lead to what. It's precisely a lack of control.
I saw a video of someone from the party who ran and escaped. Then she saw someone driving a car, stopped him and asked is she could get in the car with him. She wrote, "It was a split-second decision and that's what saved me."
On the other hand, there were people who ran and hid in places and that's what killed them. In other words, you can't know what will happen and that's what's terrifying in this situation. The chaos, the lack of logical order that tells you that if you follow these rules, you can survive, and if not, you'll die. And it's all about that split-second decision. That's what makes this event so traumatic because you have no control over the most basic thing in your life—whether you're going to live or not.
Another thing I never really thought about while reading is Harry's role as a victim. Because, in the end, Harry didn't do anything to become Voldemort's enemy. He didn't choose to be Voldemort's enemy.
He cannot resign from this role. When we look at this structure in times of peace, there is something literary, even romantic, as if it is Voldemort who chose Harry, and Harry was born for this role.
But now in this reading, I suddenly thought, what crap. What crap it is to be born like this. What a thing it is to be born, and from the very fact of being, from the very fact that you simply exist, there is tremendous power that wants to kill you.
Because Harry is a marked man from the moment he was born. He was born, and almost immediately after, there was an incredibly powerful force that wanted to kill him—this force murdered his parents. Due to the murder of his parents, he was condemned to a life of loneliness and misery with his relatives.
And so, every year, he comes back to pursue him in some way. In every generation. Harry's pursuit here by Voldemort is truly the epitome of something that Harry has lived with until now, and you know, every now and then I would resurface.
This pursuit is a feeling that I, at least, very much feel these days because it has shattered for us a very, very large sense of security.
The people in Nahal Oz, in Be'eri, in the kibbutzim, in Netivot, in the parties and Ofakim, these people ultimately lived their lives, on Shabbat morning, on a holiday evening. They simply lived. Some of them, as you know, danced at the party, some woke up or were still sleeping; they didn't do anything that provoked Hamas to come and tear apart the fabric of their lives, to murder and abduct.
I intentionally refrain from gruesome descriptions here because this verbal pornography, for people sensitive to words, is like watching a video. There is no need for that; we know what happened.
But in this sense, I couldn't help but think—and I can't believe I'm about to say this—but I couldn't help but think about being Jewish. And it's funny to say I thought about being Jewish because even in this podcast, we've talked so much about the Holocaust. I think that our intellectual engagement with it, is the fact that we knew we were distant from it.
Holocaust survivors, some of them never... Some never talked about the Holocaust, some did, perhaps because they understood its historical value. But I believe they mentioned the Holocaust less than we did in a hour-long conversation (laughter).
But for us, growing up in a country where its very existence was supposed to ensure that it would not happen again, it was easy to distance ourselves from it. We knew from a very young age that in this country, it would not happen again. We will not be powerless again. That's why it's important to enlist in the army, why it's important to pay taxes. If we carry out these actions, if we participate in this country, then it will not happen to us again. And until recently, the country upheld this promise.
Our obsessive focus on the Holocaust reveals that it was easy for us to revert to it because it was very distant from our consciousness. We genuinely believed that, as Jews, we would not become powerless victims of violence like that again. And yet, it happened again.
And what's crazy about this happening in this pogrom is that one of the things is that Hamas attacks these people primarily because they are Israelis. But in the face of Israeli identity, you know, if being Israeli is what draws a target on your head, then you say, "Okay, I'll move abroad."
What is so terrible here is that we see that this is something happening in the world, the world's response, the public's response to this pogrom, is simply appalling.
Because in the face of the horrors of October 7th and the captives still in Gaza, you think: there's no black and white here, no good and bad, it was a pogrom. It's clear that what happened is not a good thing. It's clear that this is not a matter of politics.
But we see how in the world, they're taking down posters of captives, and people in Gaza—you know, captives, women, elders, children, infants. Men too, always counting the women first and then the men, as if being a man in captivity is less harsh.
These people are in Gaza, and you think, how can one tear down posters calling for their release, trying to raise awareness? That's anti-Semitism.
You see, there is nothing else here; it's not... It's just anti-Semitism. It's simply hatred because of who you are.
And personally, this disaster caught me abroad. I flew to Berlin on the first Friday of October and because my return flights were canceled, I returned a week ago. I was in Berlin and then moved to London because I could sleep at a friend's place, you know.
I attended a protest for the release of the captives there, held a sign, and then someone comes and shouts "Free Palestine".
And you might wonder—what's the relevance here? What's the connection? We're discussing individuals who are being abducted, as if kidnapping a baby to advocate for Palestine has no bearing on the matter.
There's a beautiful saying: " "If you ever forget that you're Jewish, a non-Jew will remind you of it."
In Israel, and that's the beauty of it, because you're not persecuted as a Jew, you have the privilege. I've had that privilege until now, not to feel my Jewish identity forcefully, because I'm not persecuted for it. You don't need to think twice about speaking in Hebrew or wearing a kippah or asking what's in a hot dog, because it's normal, everyone here is Jewish.
And suddenly, I felt that just by being born Jewish, looking Jewish, having Hebrew as my mother tongue, the enemy has a target, simply by my existence.
Now, these are texts that I'm saying, and I kind of can't believe that I'm saying them because these are texts of Memorial Days, of Holocaust Days, of me as a Jew growing up in Israel, having the privilege to be sarcastic towards them until now.
And I think what Harry feels here is exactly that. Because the fourth book, and we also talked about it when we read it, is a book that is tinged with euphoria. And not just the book but also Harry, for those who remember, initially dreams of playing in the Quidditch World Cup, winning fame and success, which is very different from his fantasy in the first book facing the Mirror of Erised.
There was some kind of euphoria, as if he suddenly imagined he was winning, and he has these teenage fantasies. And it was allowed despite the history, which sometimes can become almost theoretical.
Harry, of course, never stopped remembering his parents and the things that happened to him in the previous books, but in this book, Rowling crafts a narrative where Voldemort's resurgence occurs within an atmosphere of general complacency. Harry, who typically dedicates himself to gathering and deciphering clues, appears less engaged this time and similarly, the corrupt Ministry of Magic.
Moreover, Harry somewhat believed that it couldn't happen to him. Simply put, as long as you are secure, healthy, and whole, the threat of death remains theoretical. Because it's so frightening to realize how much you are in danger, it's terribly easy to push it into the realm of the theoretical. It's something very difficult to feel on your own skin all the time.
Just like we knew there is theoretically Hamas, and there are theoretical warnings of war, and there was the Holocaust, and there is anti-Semitism in the world, but still, despite knowing all these things factually, October 7th caught us by surprise.
Exactly like the battle against Voldemort, it was the thing itself, it was death. It shattered Harry as well, and I feel to us as well. The sense of security we lived in, the situation where you think - I'm protected, I'm okay, everything will be fine, and suddenly, boom. You didn't know how vulnerable you were, you didn't know how easy it is to turn you into a victim.
Dor: There are no words. It's very accurate. And it also really resonates with me, meaning what you defined as the 'non-Jewish' signifies your Judaism. It happens quite literally in these chapters, right? When Voldemort returns to life through some kind of ancient magic, correct? The bone of his father, the blood of the servant and all that.
Shir: The flesh of the servant.
Dor: The flesh of the servant, and the blood of the enemy. Now, the blood of the enemy, no one wrote there 'the blood of Harry Potter.'
Voldemort has numerous potential enemies. He could have attempted to seize many individuals who perceived him as their adversary, and he acknowledges this. However, he specifically singled out Harry. In other words, he tells Harry – 'You are my enemy', as stated in the prophecy. 'You are Harry Potter.' This wasn't a choice made by Harry.
This revelation is also emphasized in the fifth book, particularly in the chapter about the prophecy that Harry uncovers. There, we learn that Harry was just one year old when Voldemort specifically chose him to be the wizard with whom he would contend in the future. So, whether in Harry's infancy or adulthood, Voldemort marks him and declares – 'You are my enemy'. Even if Harry doesn't willingly embrace the role of being Voldemort's adversary.
In other words, it's clear that Voldemort doesn't like Harry, and he's not in favor of him for personal reasons. However, Voldemort explicitly tells him - 'This is your destiny, to be my enemy. This is how you are defined.' He imposes this definition upon Harry. It's truly a powerful concept. Parallel to this, it resonates with what you mentioned about the state, which is supposed to genuinely protect us.
And if you're reading, which is a very challenging experience, there are now articles that display WhatsApp messages from the kibbutzim, and you see them texting all the time - 'What's happening? Where is the army? Where is the police? Where are the security forces?' The feeling there and in what we read about Harry, is a deep sense of abandonment. Harry wants the police to come. Now, how can the police help here?
Shir: Yes, it appears to be the sole instance in this book where she used the word 'police.'
Dor: It's as if he's envisioning some familiar image of law enforcement from his childhood, perhaps a British police officer, even though it's clear they won't be of assistance in this situation. Despite being in a dire situation, Harry instinctively thinks, "Where's the police officer who will intervene and put a stop to this?" He keeps repeating the sentiment, "Someone should come," and then adds, "I hope something disrupts this somehow".
Because it's not just that Harry feels control slipping away from him; he also perceives a lack of anyone who could come and assist him. As we see, like how we grow up in a country, Harry, as a wizard, grows up in Hogwarts—a place designed to safeguard him with knowledgeable teachers and various enchantments preventing harm and calamity, right?
Shir: That Dumbledore is there.
Dor: That Dumbledore is there. Now, just like in Hogwarts, in the state of Israel as well, there are times when evil manages to penetrate, right? I mean, we grew up in years marked by suicide bombings, didn't we?
Shir: Certainly, the Second Intifada.
Dor: With missile attacks, right? Stabbing attacks, car-ramming attacks – it's not lacking, we've truly experienced a variety of things here.
Shir: So much variety (Sarcastically).
Dor: But we never imagined that everything would just fall into place.
Shir: Entering the borders for so many hours.
Dor: Initially, when they mentioned two hundred casualties, it was shocking. On the first day, yes, when the numbers kept increasing in increments of a hundred, reaching the two-hundred mark was horrifying. Later on, you come to the realization that it won't stop. If it continues to rise in groups of a hundred, it's not going to halt anytime soon. This whole situation, not just the crisis but also the profound sense of abandonment, especially considering how it will impact Harry in the future, makes me reflect on the significant themes in the fifth book. Throughout the fifth book, it stands out prominently that what Harry goes through in the fourth book contributes significantly to his strong sense of survivor guilt, doesn't it?
I read this and pondered extensively about Holocaust survivors, and more than that. In the initial weeks of the war, I delved into a captivating book by Dr. Sharon Geva, recounting the lives of Zivia Lubetkin and Antek Zuckerman – prominent figures in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the Resistance. They not only led the uprising but were also key figures among the survivors.
Here in Israel, they were rightfully celebrated as heroes. The mentioned book eloquently delves into their post-uprising lives, their experiences in the country, establishing Kibbutz Lohamei Hageta'ot, the museum and more.
Even among these individuals, I'm not referring to those who merely survived by chance. They were resilient fighters who led resistance movements in the ghetto. They were heroes on a national scale, not Holocaust survivors sorned by others and accused of collaboration. Yet, even for them, their entire lives were shadowed by survivor guilt.
Consistently, Zivia Lubetkin grapples with an overwhelming sense of guilt, reflecting on how she successfully escaped the ghetto during the final stages of the liquidation, while acknowledging that others were not as fortunate.
And Zuckerman repeatedly talks about how, being a young man back then, he could resist. He reflects today that he's already a father to children, and he always wonders – if back then he were a father to a child, would he dare to resist? Perhaps not, maybe he wouldn't be willing to risk the life of his little child.
Even though they were national heroes, no one uttered a negative word about them. All political parties in the country sought to align themselves with them. Essentially identified with the Zionist left, they were embraced and admired by everyone, even those on the right. Nevertheless, the weight of guilt continued to linger with them. Although it's evident that it's genuinely not their fault, the blame here rests solely on the perpetrator and the operation.
In the context of our book, it's unequivocal that the blame lies entirely with Voldemort and the Death Eaters. However, finding solace in this fact proves challenging because individuals often question, 'Why him and not me? Why Cedric and not me?' It's as if, 'I didn't seek this. How did it happen to me specifically? Why did I survive while he didn't?' The challenging struggle extends to later in the fifth book, poisoning Harry's soul with anger, loneliness, and a lack of understanding from others—not only about that but for various reasons we'll delve into in the next chapter.
Shir: I completely agree with you. I also think that one of the things that contribute to post-traumatic stress is what we said about the lack of control in this situation. But I believe that ultimately, even those who led the Ghetto and the Revolt did something in this chaotic situation. They did achieve some semblance of control over the situation, and they said, 'We will fight back. You're a freaking Nazi machine gone mad trying to destroy all Jews, but here in the ghetto, we will fight you with Molotov cocktails that we'll prepare and throw at you.' This is also a form of control.
But what's interesting about it is that they also experienced survivor guilt. In the end, the small actions you take may help you survive, but afterward, it doesn't truly help you make sense of the story. In the end, it might help daily survival, but the immense chaos of facing death and dealing with death for so long... you know, in our case, it was hours, days; in the Holocaust, it was years! In the end, you're not able to cope with the chaos and the upheaval of the emotional world, and the actions you take to regain control don't truly help in bringing order to the world.
Dor: The final aspect I'd like to touch upon, if I aim for an optimistic or uplifting note, is Harry's resilience. Despite facing the imminent physical threat of death, compounded by Voldemort's torment, what stands out is Harry's ability to withstand the Imperius Curse. Rowling paints the Imperius Curse as the most formidable challenge, a form of mental torture attempting to subdue Harry.
What truly impresses us as readers is Harry's capacity to overcome this curse. It simply cannot dominate him; he possesses a unique immunity. Harry emerges as one of the rare individuals capable of triumphing over the Imperius Curse, showcasing a genuine victory of spirit over the material.
This stands as a testament to the indomitable spirit of Harry, which, despite the harrowing ordeals, torture, suffocation, and the looming specter of death, remains unbroken. Even when facing the grim prospect of mortality, Harry's resilience prevails.
Harry exhibits a fundamental quality that instinctively safeguards his sense of self. This trait holds particular significance because Harry is defined by his intense emotions. Unlike those skilled at compartmentalizing thoughts, like Snape or Malfoy, as depicted in the fifth book, 'The Order of the Phoenix,' Harry is guided by profound feelings. He isn't inclined to shut off his mind from overwhelming thoughts. Nevertheless, he possesses remarkable mental resilience that keeps him from breaking. This resilience is exceptionally robust. Despite mourning Cedric and fearing for his life, even in the face of trauma, he doesn't lose sight of his identity, his parents' legacy, and the place he calls home.
It links me to the harsh realities of this challenging situation. Currently, I'm engaged in reading diverse accounts and narratives that precisely capture incidents in the kibbutzim. I'm contributing to a project that meticulously documents the events there. These narratives include depictions of parents who comprehend the presence of terrorists in the vicinity. In response, they either shield their children by lying on top of them or hide them, recognizing that these actions serve as their protection.
It reminds me of a story that actually happened during the war, a truly astonishing story that unfolded in Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Two elderly couples, Shlomo and Hannah Ron, were living there when, during a weekend visit by their daughter and granddaughters, a sudden attack occurred. Faced with danger, Shlomo Ron made a courageous decision. He chose to present himself in the living room, thinking that if Hamas saw him, they would perceive an elderly man living alone, kill him, and move on.
And it worked. This crazy plan worked. He simply went out, sat there alone, waiting...just waiting for the murderers! He wasn't armed, he was nothing, he simply sacrificed himself, waited for them. They arrived, thinking he was alone. He looked like an old man. They killed him and moved on!
And he saved the lives of his wife, his daughters, and his grandson. It's... it's... I have no words at all to describe this. What is it, to call it heroism? It's... the word is not capable of describing this, of a person who goes towards his death and says, 'I save my entire family this way, and the next generation.' It's... like... (struggling to find words) It's also rational, but I think, aside from what Harry does, how much love is in it. How much this man loves his family. You do this out of great emotion for your wife, your daughters, your grandson.
There are no words to describe this, and it is precisely the great triumph of the spirit. It is the definition of good. Good in its essence.
It's a sad story, but it's also moving, and it says something about what we are fighting for here, about such a legacy. It's the ideals for which we are fighting, for a person who did everything for the sake of future generations in an instant.
And like in the book, people who won't let evil defeat them out of the immense love they have within them.
Shir: We also see this very much at the end, when Voldemort speaks in his speech - 'I killed this one and killed that one and killed her, and there was no longer any use in her, so I killed her, and killed and killed.' And the strong opposition is that, supposedly, he wants to avoid being ruled by death, but death dictates every decision in his life. Voldemort is pursued by death out of a desire not to be a mortal. In contrast, Harry, at some point, says - 'Okay, I'm going to die,' risking his life to bring Cedric's body back.
And it's precisely at that moment when he chooses love and honors Cedric's father's love for Cedric, his mother's love for him, and returns the body while risking his life. He risks his life for love, in contrast to Voldemort, who is simply so afraid of death that he becomes death itself. You fear the thing, and you just...
Dor: That he sacrifices everyone.
Shir: Exactly, and that's why he dies, as Rowling emphasizes repeatedly in various ways.
To conclude, I just wanted to say that we read Harry Potter in real-time, and I remember that after the fourth book, a friend said to me, 'I don't know how it will be now; Voldemort is back, so everything will be different, everything will be dark.' And I think that what accompanies the end of the fourth book is indeed that. We don't know how the world will look, and we don't know what will happen in the next book; we are waiting.
And the wait is one of the most horrifying things there is. We don't know what will happen to the fate of the kidnapped. I believe that each of us knows someone who has been kidnapped or knows someone close to them who has been kidnapped, or, God forbid, murdered. And we... We don't know how we will manage to endure this rupture of so many murdered, so many citizens, so many kidnapped.
We don't know if this war will escalate, if it will turn into a regional war with Hezbollah and Iran, if it will turn into a world war with the United States and Russia. We simply don't know. We don't know anything, and it's happening now.
And there's something about this waiting, it's just awful. Because we don't know what will happen. We don't know how our lives will look in a month, and we... You know, you can delve into the abyss of uncertainty and start considering all the scenarios that could happen, but it's just terrible. And it's terrible that it's not happening in a book, but rather it's happening to us now, it's happening in our real lives.
And that is why I would like to conclude this chapter with one of the most beautiful quotes from it, one of the moments I believe is among the most quoted in the series.
Dor: And you're not telling me which quote it is, but I already know which quote it is. Because it has accompanied me through many crises in life. And even now.
Shir: nothing to be done. Okay, so from page 646.
“Knew he was goin’ ter come back,” said Hagrid, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up at him, shocked. “Known it fer years, Harry. Knew he was out there, bidin’ his time. It had ter happen. Well, now it has, an’ we’ll jus’ have ter get on with it. We’ll fight. Migh’ be able ter stop him before he gets a good hold. That’s Dumbledore’s plan, anyway. Great man, Dumbledore. ‘S long as we’ve got him, I’m not too worried.” Hagrid raised his bushy eyebrows at the disbelieving expressions on their faces. “No good sittin’ worryin’ abou’ it,” he said. “What’s comin’ will come, an’ we’ll meet it when it does.”"
Dor: Words of wisdom, no doubt.
Shir: "So, with this, we conclude our first special episode.
Dor: In the next chapter, we will discuss the fifth book, so we will read chapters 35-37: Beyond the Veil, the Only One He Ever Feared, and the Lost Prophecy.
We hope that all of you are well and wish for better days ahead for everyone.. Thank you very much, Shir.
Shir: Thank you very much, Dor, and I also want to express my gratitude to Eyal Shindler and Yuval Avivi who produced and edited us, thank you!
-End of episode-
Comments