Speaking silences

By Andrew V. Ettin

Book Description

In a world where we often view silence and speech as opposing forces, Andrew V. Ettin invites readers to reconsider this fundamental assumption. Speaking Silences challenges the conventional wisdom that language always reveals truth while silence conceals it, exploring instead how these two modes of expression work together in profound and unexpected ways.

Drawing from biblical texts, traditional works, and contemporary literature across Jewish and non-Jewish traditions, Ettin reveals silence not as an empty void but as a rich form of communication carrying its own power and meaning. He demonstrates how the creative process itself depends on the dynamic tension between what is spoken and what remains unspoken.

The exploration extends beyond literary analysis to examine how silence functions as both a tool of oppression and resistance. Ettin shows how dominant cultures can silence marginalized voices, while also revealing how those without conventional power use both speech and silence as forms of witness and defense. Through examining feminist efforts to transform religious language, the experiences of Yiddish writers in exile, and the profound silences surrounding the Holocaust, he illuminates the complex relationship between voice and voicelessness.

This interdisciplinary work offers readers a deeper understanding of how meaning emerges not just from what we say, but from the spaces between words. For those seeking to understand the spiritual dimensions of communication and the ways cultures preserve and transmit wisdom, Speaking Silences provides fresh insights into the sacred nature of both expression and restraint.