24. What Is Life - Part 2

To discover what life is, let’s probe the animal. The word animal is derived from the Latin, animus, meaning mind or soul, which is similar to the Latin anima, for breath or spirit. Hebrew also speaks of neshama and neshima, which are soul and breath, respectively. As well we have the related ruach, which is both spirit and wind. Similarly the English word inspiration refers both to physical breath and spiritual arousal.

A person that is animated, that has vitality, life, is recognizable by a dynamic presence, a spiritual investment that is quite beyond the physical yet expresses itself specifically through his body and its functions. It is an enigmatic fact of life that we recognize the transcendence of life itself by observing its investment in the physical bodies of living beings.

But how do these two worlds mesh? What is it that unites and harmonizes the nonphysical spirit with the corporeal body? Neither the body itself, nor the spirit alone, have the capacity to effect the integrated soul-body unity of a living being.

There must be something beyond both soul and body that creates them with the potential for unification and combines them as an organic unit. This is the logic of the Abraham Principle, and through it, the venerable patriarch determined that there is but a singular source of life, the First Being, whose Life is independent of both body and soul.

It is in celebration of this wonderful reality, that Jews begin each day with a prayer immediately upon waking up in the morning, saying, “I offer thanks to you, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great.”

Loosely translated, it’s “Hey! I’ve got this body and this soul that really have nothing to do with each other. It’s just that some great Being beyond them both has made them and put them together so I can celebrate life itself. Thank you!”

We then go on to acknowledge all the details of how that essential life is expressed in day-to-day existence. We have blessings for daybreak, for vision, for movement, for strength, for clothing, for identity and for freedom. But heading this long list of blessings is one for life.

“My G-d, the soul which You have given within me is pure. You have created it, You have formed it, You have breathed it into me, and You preserve it within me. You will eventually take it from me, and restore it within me in the Time to Come. So long as the soul is within me, I offer thanks to You, L- rd, my G-d and G-d of my fathers, Master of all works, L-rd of all souls. Blessed are You, L-rd, who restores souls to dead bodies.”

Chassidus explains this prayer in terms of the Kabbalah of Life. The stages of the soul’s descent into the physical world are described above as ‘pure’, ‘created’, ‘formed’, ‘breathed’, and ‘preserved’. The first four terms refer to its stepwise descent through the four spiritual worlds of Atzilut-emanation (pure), Beriyah- creation (created), Yetsira-formation (formed), and Asiyah-action (breathed). The fifth is the continuous miracle of sustained physical life (preserved). Before each term, the word Atah-You is used, indicating that G-d Himself, the Creator of something from nothing, is behind each quantum jump from world to world and is continuously involved in sustaining the soul-body unity.

If this sounds esoteric to you, don’t worry – it is. But as it turns out, physical reality is just as strange, for the particle physics provides a close analogy to this spiritual odyssey, and does so in the name of the ubiquitous electron. Indeed, quantum jumps within the atom lend credence to the sentiment that Adam and the atom have enough in common to warrant similar names.

Strange as it seems, when electrons move from level to level in their atomic orbits, they do so without covering the intervening space. Unlike larger objects that at least seem to obey classical laws of continuous motion, the electron jumps in a most radical fashion. It instantaneously changes state, so at the very same instant, it vanishes from one location and reappears in another. Moreover the electron not only jumps from place to place, but also from time to time and from energy level to energy level, all without ever traversing intermediate conditions.

In like fashion, the soul-jumps from world to world also occur in a marvelous, something- from-nothing manner which mirrors the mysterious leaps of the electron from level to level. On the other side of the mirror, in the spiritual realm, the Atah- power behind the soul’s quantum descents is called Atzmut-essence. This essence is the indivisible wholeness that is the ultimate reality of the world, putting it all together without being seen.

So too in the ‘life’ of the electron. Every electron leap is an expression of an indivisible wholeness, a creative force beyond space and time, which is the ultimate ground of reality, is conscious, and manifests in each and every particle in the cosmos, putting it all together without being seen.

It is here that faith and physics kiss. The life of the Adam and the life of the atom are one and the same, an unutterable essence that cannot be perceived directly but is somehow recognizable in every step in the dance of life, a dance that continues into the Days of Moshiach when the world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the sea.

* * * * *
Reference: Sicha of 16 Teves 5750

23. What Is Life?

From biology to kabbalah to the dance of the electron.

If a biologist knows about anything, he should know about life. Or so you would think. After all, biology is defined as the scientific study of living organisms. To distinguish biology from other scholarly disciplines, introductory textbooks tackle the terms of engagement right from the start. Typically on page 1, they take their own run at that classic, primordial question that has stymied philosophers since the dawn of civilization and that is: What is life?
Defining life is particularly daunting because it is a fundamental concept, rather like ‘time’ or ‘consciousness’. Each of these is a basic reality that doesn’t break down into parts. As such, the exercise of defining life leads us between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, you can’t define life in terms of itself, for that would be trivial. On the other hand, once you characterize it with a shopping list of descriptors, you’ve completely lost its essence.

What to do? Probably not what the experts do. Biologists, locked as they are in the outdated materialistic mindsets of the 19th Century, try to define something fuzzy like life in terms of rocks and hard places. “Life is the characteristic quality of living beings.” or “Life is defined by such features as homeostasis, metabolism, reproduction, mobility, and genetic makeup.”
It sounds okay for starters, but scratch the surface of these 'definitive' statements and the former is just a tautology (self-reference), while the latter is an elliptical trajectory around the missing focal point. Besides, do those qualities really distinguish living beings from others? Let’s take a look at a few.

Homeostasis is the maintenance of a constant internal environment by means of negative feedback. This means that if it’s too hot, you sweat and bring down the body temperature. Too cold? You shiver and warm up. That’s life. But what about my furnace, thermometer and thermostat? That’s a homeostatic system too! Too hot? The thermometer signals the thermostat to shut down the furnace. Too cold? The thermometer signals the thermostat to turn the heat back on. Voila! Thermoregulation, i.e., homeostasis, a constant internal environment. Does that mean my house is alive? Obviously not.

The same is true of the other ‘defining’ qualities of life. Crystals, too, reproduce. Automobiles can be said to metabolize. And viruses, which are considered nonliving, are comprised of genetic material just as living cells are.

So what is life?

22. The Power of One

Unity is simplicity.

How easy it is to say, how elusive to grasp. Yet precisely this is the heritage of Abraham. His notion of a simple unity underlying everything can be better understood with a modern analogy – electricity. Electricity, too, is an invisible reality, hidden behind the walls, yet turning everything on, lightbulbs and lawn mowers, ovens and clocks, making the world tick.

But all this is just what it does. What is electricity, really, in and of itself, before we flick the switch? Descriptions abound. The first ten sources on dictionary.com have definitions ranging all over the map. But what we all can agree on is that there is a potential energy stored in those wires that can do any number of things once released. Moreover, the uses we put electricity to don’t change the electricity itself. Electricity remains quite independent of its various actions even when powering many functions in many places at once.

Perhaps we can say the same of G-d. The Abraham Principle leads us to a First Being upon which everything depends.* One of the implications of being First is being independent. Everything needs it but it doesn’t need anything. Because think about it. If the First Being was conditional on something else, then that something would be the First. So however you slice it, the First Being is an independent entity.

Independence is not something you share. It sets you apart, alone. So there’s no such thing as “tied for first place” in the race for an ultimate solution to the problem of existence. And the closer we look at the gold medallist, the less He looks like the silver or the bronze. Unlike His competitors, He has no legs, no body, not even a head. G-d is not organic, nor composite. His unity is simple. Perfectly simple. And that makes Him look like a loser. Looks like. For He is not only a winner. He’s the winner.

See that wall? The electrons are there, behind it, incredibly powerful, waiting to fulfill every potential. The full force of Niagara Falls plus a continent’s worth of thermonuclear grid is behind that wall, quiet, unseen.

The fool says, “Nah.” The wise man plugs in and flicks the switch. Or sometimes it’s the philosopher that says “Nah” and the simple person who plugs in and flicks the switch. You don’t have to be an electrical engineer to run a dishwasher, and you don’t need to be theologian to do a mitzvah. We are all plugged in to the source. We just have to flick the switch and the light goes on.

Better than solar, when you run on divine energy, you never run out. It's the ultimate renewable. No matter that it's undefined. Don't worry that it's invisible. You've got what it takes - the hardware, the operator's manual, and an extended lifetime warranty - rechargeable batteries included.

* * * * *
* Even if, for argument’s sake, you wanted to say that there is no First Being but that cause-and- effect go on eternally, you could still look at that eternal cause-and-effect system and ask why it exists. A systems analytic approach will ultimately yield a simple unity on which the whole is predicated.

Alternatively one may argue that instead of a First Being, there are two (or more) first beings and they are co-dependent, not independent. If so, then again the Abraham Principle will query the order of the two- being system, and determine that there must be a third entity, external to and more powerful than these that integrates their functioning. The result? An independent First Being.
* * * * *

This article was loosely based on Abarbanel, Rosh Amanah, Ch. 7, and
Tzemach Tzedek, Derech Mitzvotecha, p.45A.

21. The "Why" Chromosome

Kids are weird. All the stuff that we clever, worldly grown-ups so sensibly take for granted, children question. Which parent has not fielded such curve- ball queries as:

“Why is the sky blue?”
"Why does daddy have a moustache and you don’t?”
“Why do people die?”

You stop and think. You wonder at her wondering, take pride in her cleverness, and dig deep into the recesses of your mind to dredge up some long- forgotten explanation. Thinking how best to say it, you repackage the idea, trim off some details, choose easy words, and tell it like it is expecting (naively) that your kid will be satisfied and the matter happily laid to rest.

“The sky is blue because the air scatters around the other colors but lets the blue through.”

“Daddy has a moustache because men have a chemical in their blood called testosterone that makes facial hair grow.”
“People die because their bodies wear out.”

So the kid soaks it up, ponders a bit, rolls his toy car, pats her doll, runs a bit around the room and off you go back to your things, thinking the case is closed until one or two hours or days later when you face the next round of reality checking.

“But why doesn’t the air scatter the blue light?”
“Why don’t you have testosterone?”
“Why do bodies wear out?”

Usually not, but sometimes the questioning turns into a game called Let’s-Keep-Mommy-Talking-as-Long-as- Possible-by-Asking-an-Endless-Series-of-Why’s. But even then, a sincere childish curiosity underlies the game, a need to know the explanation of things.

Of course the game is not restricted to children. The fact that most of us outgrow our inherent curiosity about the world is not so much because we know the answers but more because as life grinds on, we become dulled to the wondrous workings of the world around us. By the time we hit our age, the only “why” most of us ask is “why me?” Most of us except scientists of course.

Maybe scientists are more sensitive. Maybe they just never grew up. Or maybe its an overactive Why Chromosome on their DNA. Whatever it is, the question remains: Why the Why?

Answering this turns out to be more important than it looks at first, because the uniquely human habit of seeking explanations drives two of the most powerful social forces at work today: science and religion. And since the two seem all too often at loggerheads, it may be worth the effort to investigate how one little question can generate two such radically different answers.

As with many other questions, we can use the Abraham Principle to resolve this too. The Abraham Principle states that when two or more entities have a correlated structure or behavior, this itself is evidence for the existence of some third being or causal force, external to and more powerful than them, which determines their form or mode of behavior.

For the scientist, the question ‘why’ is a journey from effect to cause and getting there is half the fun. The other half is knowing that regardless of what we discover, the original questions somehow remain while new questions abound. For the sincerely religious also, the question ‘why’ is an exploration, but one that ends not with some infinite regress, nor endless stream of questions, but rather with an ultimate answer: That there is a First Cause that seeded the world, planted the ‘why chromosome’ in our psyches, and gave us the logical prowess to infer back to the source, the ultimate Because before which there is no why. And why would He do a thing like that? Well, why not?

20. Truth be Told: Stories

The colleagues of the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, once had a discussion about how each of them would run the world if he were G-d, each offering their opinions on how things could be improved upon. When they were done, the Alter Rebbe said his piece. “If I were G-d, I’d do things just the same as He does them.”

This same Alter Rebbe wrote the primary resource for Chassidic philosophy, the Tanya, and in it enshrines service in truth as the Jewish way. The present Rebbe writes that if he would have left that out of the Tanya, he would have had another 50,000 followers. But truth is not for sale.

I’ve checked my toolkit for a nice big yardstick and I haven’t yet found one big enough to measure G-d’s beauty, nor his truth for that matter. But is it He that must pass my tests?

My mother, may she live and be well, rarely speaks of her war experiences, so when, as a child, she chose to share with me a lesson from the Lodz ghetto, it made a lasting impression. What got her going was me telling her exactly what I would do if there were a fire at that moment. She said, “Don’t be silly. You don’t know what you would do in a big test like that.”

“When I was in ghetto,” she continued, “Two men were arrested by the Nazis for the ‘crime’ of possessing a radio. Before they were hauled off for interrogation as to who else could be implicated, the younger of the two, a strong, handsome young man said, ‘Let them do what they will, they’ll never get any information out of me!’ The elder detainee said nothing. He was old and wizened, and looked like you could blow him over.

“That very afternoon, the burly youth returned, having told everything he knew about everyone with a radio, just under the threat of torture. The elderly Jew returned only three days later, his fingernails pulled off and his eyes gauged out.

“So,” concluded my mom, “Don’t say you know what you will do under a test, because you just don’t know.”

Who is more beautiful? The strong, handsome youth who spoke? Or the, blinded and maimed old man who didn’t?

Life is not simple.

But let’s put it into terms that a child could understand. The teacher turns his back on the class and a bunch of kids act up, making lots of trouble. Most of the class starts giggling. Things get out of control. After his call for order falls on deaf ears, the teacher calls out, “That’s it, class detention. No recess today.”

“Whoa! Why? That’s not fair! I didn’t do it! It was him! Why should I get in trouble for something I didn’t do? Why should I behave good? I see it just gets me into trouble.”

“I’m sorry class, but I’ve told you many times. We are all in this together. We all have a responsibility, and if the class can’t move forward, you have to make up the time.”

Life is not fair, at least not to our standards of fair. But if we recognize where our knocks are coming from, we will take them with humility. If it’s from G-d, its good. Does that make it beautiful? In truth, yes. But in our eyes?

Why is it that we, as Jews, can be proud of our continued commitment despite the bitter exiles, the terrible pogroms, the unspeakable evils of the Inquisition, the Holocaust, and the mess we are in today, but as soon as it touches us personally, there are questions. The test is ours, not His.

One last story. I heard it at an event marking the first anniversary of passing of a wonderful young man who was killed by a train in a freak accident on his way to synagogue to help make up a quorum for communal prayer. He was my son’s Grade 5 teacher, every kid’s favorite teacher, the kindest person you’d ever care to meet. R’ Yosi Jacobson spoke at the memorial and shared this story with the huge crowd gathered there.

There was a Chassidic lumber merchant over a century ago, who was famous for two things. Loads of cash and unstinting support of Torah study in his town. He funded an entire study hall of bright and dedicated Torah scholars and whenever he could, he would join with them in exploring the truth and beauty of the Torah.

One year he had a great idea. Instead of buying one boatload of lumber, he’d buy three, so when he sold it, he’d make lots more money and be able to do so many more good deeds with the charity he could spend. He spent all his savings on this grand project, and once the three ships were laden and sailing off to their foreign markets, he happily settled back into his satisfying communal and spiritual life.

But not for long. One of the local Torah scholars got wind of the storm first. The boats had all capsized. All the lumber was lost. Their gracious benefactor was ruined, but he didn’t know it yet. Who would break the news to him? And how?

Finally one young man agreed to shoulder the painful task. He conferred with his colleagues, planned his pitch and went off to see the lumber merchant at his home. “I have a question on a difficult piece of Talmud. Can you help me?”

“Me? Help you? I doubt if I can solve something you don’t know, but since you’re here, let’s give it a try. You know I’d help you any way I can.”

“Well, it says over here that we are obliged to bless G-d for the bad, exactly as we bless him for good? How is that possible?”

“That’s your question?” asked the merchant. “I’m no expert in Talmud but I think I can help you on this one. You see everything comes from G-d, so when bad things happen, they aren’t really bad. They just seem bad to us because we have a very limited point of view. G-d has a big plan for everything, so knowing this we can feel secure and even happy that this apparent bad is deep down positive, and G-d is really doing us a favor by treating us in this way. Do you get it.”

“Well, yes and know. I understand and believe that it’s all for the best and all, but my difficulty is being just as happy about bad news as good. I mean, picture this. Say you married off a child and you were at the wedding. Would you dance from joy?”

“Of course I would! Who wouldn’t?”

“And if all your boats loaded with lumber were to capsize en route to market leaving you penniless, crushed in debt, and without means to climb out of it, would you dance from joy?”

“Uh... ..dance from joy? Well, uh.. ..I see what you’re getting at. But if you think about it, the One Above knows what’s best for us and he has our good at heart. In fact when things turn out bad in our eyes it’s actually a sign that the goodness within is much greater than a revealed good. It’s all explained in Chassidus.”

"Yes but would you dance?”

“If all my ships suddenly capsized leaving me flat broke and in debt up to my eyeballs? Well, yeah.. ..yeah. I wouldn’t normally think about it in those terms, but now that I am, yes I guess I would dance.”

“Just as much as at the wedding of your own child?”

“Yes! Yes! Just as much, and maybe even more!”

“Well, start dancing. There really was a storm at sea. A messenger came to the study hall and told us. I verified the story myself and it’s true. All your lumber has been lost.”

The merchant fainted on the spot. When he came to, he said, “You know. At this moment, I’m having trouble with that Talmudic passage myself!”

19. Beauty, Meet Truth

I am not a Kabbalist. Nor a philosopher.

If I were, I could speak about such sublime realities like beauty and truth in something approaching an authoritative fashion. But all I can muster is a few life lessons and some Torah gleanings.

For instance. Sometimes truth is ugly.

Take Abraham for example. Here is a man who is everybody’s hero. Who else could be adored by Christian, Muslim and Jew? Founder of ethical monotheism, host par excellence, educator, iconoclast, at once challenging men to rise above their mediocrity, yet challenging G-d to descend from His uncompromising excellence and value us for who we are.

Yes, Abraham was beautiful, but he didn’t stop there. His commitment went far beyond his natural goodness, far beyond his kind and wise nature. His commitment was ultimate, and that can look scary, very scary.

Abraham’s biggest test, the binding of Isaac, is not the kind of deed one calls wise, or kind, or sane for that matter. I recall studying the akeda, the story of the binding of Isaac, with a brilliant scholar who loved nothing more than Torah. But this story bugged him, no, actually haunted him. “He was wrong! He had no right to do it!” The story drove him nuts.

Abraham built his entire life on promoting G-d in the world. He weaned the Middle East off of idolatry, taught people, fed them, nurtured their faith in an all- knowing, just and benevolent Creator. He was a living model of the good G-d he preached. And then what?

Then came his big test: To offer up Isaac as a sacrifice. Which sounds a lot like this: Commit murder. Kill a human being. Kill your own son. Your only son. The one you love. The promised father-to- be of your millions of children. Go ahead. Make me a liar. Tie him up and slit his throat. Watch him bleed to death. Trash your life, trash My reputation, and don’t ask why. Just do it.

Ahh, you may recall, recoil. It wasn’t so bad. At the last moment, G-d said “Stop”. He just wanted the offer, not the deed. Yes, G-d was beautiful, but Abraham did not want to stop there. “Let me take just a drop of blood.” Abraham wanted to serve in truth, ultimate truth. And that ain’t pretty.

But then again, I’m not a philosopher, nor a Kabbalist.

If I were, I might see the beauty within the ugliness, the truth within the lie. But guess what. I can’t. All I know is “G-d said so.” And in truth, that’s enough, because ironically, living in truth with G-d IS beautiful, whether we understand it or not.

18. Astrology and Judaism

Dear readers, please share your knowledge on this issue! I'll print some of your responses next week. Is there a kosher astrology website out there in the e-universe? How about sending me your best link on the subject? All this will help Henny and the rest of us too.

Hello Dr. Gotfryd -

As a thinking person and Jew I enjoy reading your articles and I like the way you incorporate science and Torah.

I actually have a very strong interest in Astrology. I began reading books on it and really began studying it like one would study any science. I'm not into the finding out the future stuff at all, its more like understanding the different horoscopes and how they make up one's personality. I originally got interested in it to help understand myself better and eventually it helped me understand others as well.

I was wondering if Astrology is something you have studied and what advice you would give to someone who does have an interest in it. I understand very well that it must be taken with a grain of salt, and I don't put people in a box once I know their birthday, because there is so much more to it then just one's sun sign, not to mention one's upbringing, environment, life experiences that all contribute to the makeup of one's personality.

Anyhow, if you can get back to me with some advice on how an observant Jew can or cannot incorporate astrology into Judaism, I would appreciate it. Thank you and all the best.
- Henny

Dear Henny,
Scientists, in general, frown on astrology as ancient mythology or new age fluff with no relevance to any forces in nature that could affect people or anything else. For them, astronomy is a science; astrology is a joke. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the stars have the last laugh on that one.

Astrology, like everything else, has its source in the Torah, as the sages say, “G-d looked into the Torah and created the world.”[1] So to understand the power of the stars properly, we should explore them from the Torah’s perspective. The Hebrew word mazal refers to the unique spiritual forces that influence natural phenomena great and small.

Our Sages teach, "There is no blade of grass in the world below that does not have a spiritual life-force (mazal) above striking it and telling it to grow"[2]. Another definition of mazal is constellation, or more specifically, the spiritual influences associated with the signs of the Zodiac.[3]

The patriarch Abraham was expert in astrology and used it to determine that he was destined to remain childless. G-d, however, had other plans, and blessed him with offspring as numerous as the sand and.. ..stars!. He told him, “Get out of your astrology! There is no astrological power over Israel.”[4]

Thus instead of Abraham conforming to his mazal, G- d made his mazal conform to him. G-d channeled higher energies to him through visiting him on Passover, sending him to the Holy Land, and changing his name. To this day, Judaism recognizes that changes in time, space, and soul affect one’s mazal. Weddings are often set for Tuesday, a day of good mazal. Also, when people move into a new home, the traditional blessing is “when you change your residency, you change your mazal, for good and blessing” To improve their mazal, seriously ill people will add a name.

None of this is superstitious, idolatrous, or occult. All those things are both foolish and forbidden by Torah. What we are doing is acknowledging that spiritual forces are at the beck and call of the Creator just as physical forces are.

My personal view? Once you’ve got G-d, who needs astrology? - AG

[1] Zohar (1:161b)
[2] Genesis Rabba 10:7, Cf. Zohar I:251a, Zohar Chadash 4b
[3] Sefer Yetzirah 5:4
[4] Genesis Rabba 44:12

17. Knowing and Caring

To know and to care.

That was the life of Abraham. Discovering ultimate reality was great, but not good enough. He had to share it with others. And he had to create a better world. But what was the response? Was the message getting through? Picture it in modern terms.

You go out on the street and ask your average Josephine, “What’s your opinion about ignorance and apathy?” And your average answer: “I don’t know and I don’t care.”

Abraham was ultimately successful re-engineering the public mind, but even his successes must have felt a little hollow, because after all, where was G-d in this whole picture? True, He was the ultimate reality of everything, making nature tick and all. But why didn’t He reveal Himself? If the purpose was to be discovered, and we discover Him, and even share that discovery, then what? Shouldn’t He come out of hiding and say Voila! Here I am!?

In a way, that’s what happened. But just in a way. The Midrash relates the story of the Divine response to Abraham’s quest with the following parable:

"And G-d said to Abraham: 'Go from your land, your birthplace, and your father's house...'" (Genesis12:2) -- To what may this be compared? To a man who was traveling from place to place when he saw a palace in flames. He wondered: "Is it possible that the palace has no owner?" The owner of the palace looked out and said, "I am the owner of the palace." So Abraham our father said, "Is it possible that the world lacks a ruler?" G-d looked out and said to him, "I am the ruler, the Sovereign of the universe."

Abraham's bewilderment is clear. This sensitive human being gazes at a brilliantly structured universe, a splendid piece of art. He is overwhelmed by the grandeur of a sunset and by the miracle of childbirth; he marvels at the roaring ocean waves and at the silent, steady beat of the human heart. The world is indeed a palace.

But the palace is in flames. The world is full of bloodshed, injustice and strife. Thugs, abusers, rapists, kidnappers and killers are continuously demolishing the palace, turning our world into an ugly tragic battlefield of untold pain and horror.

What happened to the owner of the palace? Abraham cries. Why does G-d allow man to destroy His world? Why does He permit such a beautiful palace to go up in flames? Could G-d have made a world only to abandon it? Would anyone build a palace and then desert it?

The Midrash records G-d's reply: "The owner of the palace looked out and said: 'I am the owner of the palace.' G-d looked out and said to Abraham: 'I am the ruler, the Sovereign of the universe.'"

What is the meaning of G-d's response?

Note that the owner of the palace does not make an attempt to get out of the burning building or to extinguish the flames. He is merely stating that He is the owner of the palace that is going up in smoke. It is as if, instead of racing out, the owner were calling for help. G-d made the palace, man set it on fire, and only man can put out the flames. Abraham asks G-d, "Where are you?" G-d replies, "I am here, where are you?" Man asks G-d, "Why did You abandon the world?" G-d asks man, "Why did you abandon Me?"

Thus began the revolution of Judaism --- humanity's courageous venture to extinguish the flames of immorality and bloodshed and restore the world to the harmonious and sacred palace it was intended to be. Abraham's encounter with G-d in the presence of a burning palace gave birth to the mission statement of Judaism - to negate evil and assert good, making the palace fit for a King, and all his subjects, too.

(Midrash Rabbah Bereishit 39:1; based on an interpretation by R’ Jonathan Sacks in Radical Then, Radical Now, Harper Collins, 2000, and the linked article citing it by R’ Yossi Jacobson).

16. Giving Back

Life is full of give and take. But where is the emphasis? Do we give in order to get? Or get in order to give?

Abraham was a giver. Whatever he had, he shared. So when it came to the things he valued most, his hard earned truths about the existence of G-d and the importance of acknowledging Him, his sharing knew no bounds.

As a child, his father had him help in the family business, the sale of idols. Of course, Abraham had no use for such foolishness but being a dutiful son, he brought the merchandise to market, calling out “Who wants a useless statue that cannot help anyone?” Of course business was not brisk on the days he worked, but even when customers came of their own accord he dissuaded them. “Madam, you are an elderly woman and this idol was made only yesterday. How could it have power over the world and your life?” “Good thinking lad, thank you.” And so it went throughout the day. Of course, upon returning home with all his stock and no cash, dad was not thrilled, but for Abraham, truth was an asset not to be sold. And everyone had the right to know.

As Abraham aged, his prioritites did not change, although his methods did. Upon arriving in the promised land, he set up a free hostel in the midst of the Negev desert, not exactly the most hospitable of environments. Soon all the nomads and caravan drivers were stopping by because the welcome was warm, the lodgings superb, and the menu lavish. Despite the arid desolation all around, Abraham’s table always featured the best delicacies including dairy, baked goods, meat, wine and fruits, all in abundance for anyone who happened by.

When his guests would rise to bless him, Abraham would respond, “Do you think the food was mine? Thank the true owner, the one G-d, Creator of heaven and earth.” If they thanked the Creator for the food, the meal was on the house, but if not, he would present them with an itemized bill for hundreds of shekels. “How can things cost so much?” they would ask. But Abraham's reply was irrefutable. “Where else will you find meat, wine and all delicacies in a desert wilderness? Of course it’s expensive. But if you will praise the Almighty, it’s yours for free.”

But rarely would he have to resort to billing. Typically it was enough to share his reasoning. He explained the error of believing that the Creator abandoned the cosmos and relegated its control to various forces. He explained how things don’t make themselves and that Divine creation is not like man’s. When people create things, they just alter the form. Divine creation is something from nothing and as such, requires constant investment of creative energy. It all made sense to them and they said Grace happily.

But why did he go through all the hassle? If the point was to teach, why bother with an inn, with lodgings, with cuisine and all the work and expense it entailed? Wouldn’t public lectures achieve the same result, maybe even better?

But Abraham knew his customers. Not everyone is an intellectual. Just as the human head comprises about 7% of the body’s mass, so too brainy types make up about 7% of the body of humanity. That leaves a whole lot of people that need a connect to G-d at a totally different level.

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and I bet women are no different (Chocolates, anyone?). Abraham fed the people, spent his hard-earned money for the physical well-being and comfort of absolute strangers, and then shared all kinds of theological, philosophical and common-sense insights with them as if they were all old college chums. Those that understood, accepted it at that level. Those that didn’t, resonated with his passion and sincerity and appreciated his love and care. A G-d of love is a G-d people can relate to and that was the G- d of Abraham.

His gift of monotheism was given from the heart. And the proof was in the pudding.

Sefer Maamarim - Rebbe Rayyatz - Vayera 5701.

15. Living the Message

Abraham took inventory, but not in the usual sense.

He reviewed all those hard-won ideas he had come to about nature and whatever it is beyond it that makes it tick, viz:

• Things don't make themselves; they work by cause and effect.
• Nature is orderly and intelligible; so its cause must be organized and intelligent.
• Causes are external to their effects and have power over them; the world's cause must be some external, greater power.
• Cause-and-effect itself depends on some First Cause.
• All bodies are limited. The First Cause, being unlimited, has no body.
• Being unlimited, the First Cause must be beyond and within the world equally.
• If this Big Being[1] is here and I am too, then He is somehow hiding right here.
• The BB's presence is hidden so we will feel independent.
• This impression of independence grants us free will.
• Free will and the ability to think abstractly enable us to 'discover' the BB.
• This 'BB discoverability' is itself a creation, begging the question of why it exists;
• The BB gave us the ability to discover Him so that we would.
• Consciously living with the BB is the purpose of mankind.

Wow.

Imagine all humanity contemplating the greatness of G-d together. How would the Creator react to such a scenario? He would say to Him/Her/It-self: "Wow. They did it. I hid and they found me. I guess it's time to come out of hiding and reveal myself to the whole world while not blowing them away.[2]"

Until here we got with brain power. From here on in, it's something else. All the philosophy in the world isn't worth a hill of beans unless you're as ready to walk the walk as much as talk the talk. Abraham understood this, as indeed we all should.

To exemplify this, we fast forward to a story of a sage who was visited by two colleagues who were to stay the night in his home. Upon their arrival, he summoned his son and told him to prepare a davar Torah (literally 'word of Torah', a lesson in its teachings) in honor of the guests. The boy took his leave while the men discussed matters and some time later returned to the room.

"What did you prepare?" his father asked. Without a word, the child motioned the men to follow him through the house to a guest room where beds were freshly made and the customary washbasins and towels were set up in preparation for their stay.

"What do you think?" the father asked his guests. "Is this not an excellent davar Torah on the subject of welcoming guests?"

What faced Abraham at this point, was a life-defining decision. Do I take this mandate wholeheartedly and dedicate the rest of my life on this world to promoting the knowledge of G-d to each and every person I encounter, or not? It's a tough world out there, a world dominated by idolatry, violence, bluff, and power-tripping. Why not just be happy that I found a little truth and meaning for myself and my family? Live and let live. No need to be a fanatic, and go around bursting everyone's bubble, even if those bubbles are as meaningless as they are hollow.

Abraham was one. The world, millions. What hope did he have of making any impact at all? He wasn't rich or powerful and he had no media contacts or PR agencies working for him. And he wasn't even selling anything that tastes good, looks pretty, or fixes your wagon wheel. Plus there was no resale value. Whatever friends he did have must have all given him the same message. Chill. There's no point burning yourself out trying to save the world. Just take care of number one.

So he did. But he decided to take care of Number One, rather than number one. He figured its up to Number One to take care of number one so that number one could take care of Number One.

In short Abraham chose the first option. Live a purposeful life. Spread the word. Share the wisdom. Bring people together in the knowledge of G-d.

A daunting task to be sure, but Abraham was up to it. And since there was a will, he would surely find a way.

[1] Not to be confused with the Big Bang, the Big Being being the being that banged the Big Bang, assuming for the time being that the Big Bang bung. Note that Big is here not a spatial term, just like First is not temporal. Alas at this level all descriptive language fails.

[2] How to pull that particular rabbit out of His divine hat is another conundrum, fortunately G-d's problem and not ours. See "Are We or Aren't We" for an inkling of a solution.