While learning today’s Tanya, the Alter Rebbe’s letter of condolences to the students of R’ Mendel of Haradok, there were two words that caught my attention. Yes, I read this letter many times but today these are the words that are ringing in my head.
“Vi’tze’eh’tzah’ay’hem Itam” and their children with them. The Alter Rebbe was addressing this letter, about staying connected through “thick ropes of a magnanimous love, and an eternal love, that will not be moved forever”, not only to the Chasidim themselves but to their children as well.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Does He Want Me To Sin?
Don’t hurt me, I hate pain, and I always did.
From a philosophical level the problem with pain is that it distracts. It doesn’t allow the person to live his life and focus on what ever he wishes to do.
Once he is in pain, however, sometimes pain could have the opposite affect. Often pain makes one more aware of oneself, more sensitive to life and to other people. Pain has the potential to lead a person to a more elevated state of being.
The Midrash teaches that some times Hashem creates a trap to lead a person to sin.
Sometimes it feels like Hashem is pushing you toward sin, lining up all the circumstances to make it difficult for you to escape a bad choice.
Sometimes it feels like he pushes an entire generation away from Judaism.
That does not mean he likes the sin. He does not like pain. But sometimes he can’t help but want to give us the opportunity to be the more sensitive person we become after experiencing the separation from him.
He hates sin; yet he desires the state that a person is in once he sinned. Lost, confused, but searching. On the way to an even greater relationship.
(Leku"s vol 5 Lech Licha sicha 1)
From a philosophical level the problem with pain is that it distracts. It doesn’t allow the person to live his life and focus on what ever he wishes to do.
Once he is in pain, however, sometimes pain could have the opposite affect. Often pain makes one more aware of oneself, more sensitive to life and to other people. Pain has the potential to lead a person to a more elevated state of being.
The Midrash teaches that some times Hashem creates a trap to lead a person to sin.
Sometimes it feels like Hashem is pushing you toward sin, lining up all the circumstances to make it difficult for you to escape a bad choice.
Sometimes it feels like he pushes an entire generation away from Judaism.
That does not mean he likes the sin. He does not like pain. But sometimes he can’t help but want to give us the opportunity to be the more sensitive person we become after experiencing the separation from him.
He hates sin; yet he desires the state that a person is in once he sinned. Lost, confused, but searching. On the way to an even greater relationship.
(Leku"s vol 5 Lech Licha sicha 1)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Water
He loves water. As soon as he created the world, in the second verse of the Torah we read, ‘and the spirit of G-d hovered over the water’. When the morals of the world collapsed and he decided to do a ‘do-over’ he once again covered the earth with water.
He is comfortable with water. Water is the source of life, when the earth is covered in water the source of the life, G-d, is present in the most powerful way.
But then, surprisingly, he said, no more floods ever again. I want to see the earth. The creation must feel independent and not overwhelmed by G-d. And let the earth be covered with the knowledge of G-d as the water cover the sea. Let the world use its mind to cover itself in the waters of wisdom.
That’s the challenge: walk on the earth but let your mind swim in the water.
(Noach, Vol 30 sicah 1)
He is comfortable with water. Water is the source of life, when the earth is covered in water the source of the life, G-d, is present in the most powerful way.
But then, surprisingly, he said, no more floods ever again. I want to see the earth. The creation must feel independent and not overwhelmed by G-d. And let the earth be covered with the knowledge of G-d as the water cover the sea. Let the world use its mind to cover itself in the waters of wisdom.
That’s the challenge: walk on the earth but let your mind swim in the water.
(Noach, Vol 30 sicah 1)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Construction Site
The one word that flashes through my mind every time I pass a construction site is chaos. Everything is a mess, there are things thrown all over, and it looks like everybody is doing their own thing.
I begin to wonder: where in the world is the architect, the guy who is supposed to be in charge of the big picture pulling all the pieces together to create a coherent buildin, Why is he nowhere to be found?
The truth, of course, is that the architect is very much present. When I look carefully I can see, that once in a while everybody involved in this mess refers back to a little book for direction. Yes, they're looking at the blueprint.
Where is the architect, the order, I asked? I'll be able to see him when the building is complete. Until then, if I want to discover some order I must look to those little papers that contain the meaning of it all.
The one thought that goes through my mind when I look at the world around me is chaos. Everybody is doing their own thing, each pulling in another direction. Yet I know there is meaning to the mess, I know there is an architect who will emerge when we compleate the construction. Until then I find him in a litle book, I find him in the Torah.
I begin to wonder: where in the world is the architect, the guy who is supposed to be in charge of the big picture pulling all the pieces together to create a coherent buildin, Why is he nowhere to be found?
The truth, of course, is that the architect is very much present. When I look carefully I can see, that once in a while everybody involved in this mess refers back to a little book for direction. Yes, they're looking at the blueprint.
Where is the architect, the order, I asked? I'll be able to see him when the building is complete. Until then, if I want to discover some order I must look to those little papers that contain the meaning of it all.
_______________________
The one thought that goes through my mind when I look at the world around me is chaos. Everybody is doing their own thing, each pulling in another direction. Yet I know there is meaning to the mess, I know there is an architect who will emerge when we compleate the construction. Until then I find him in a litle book, I find him in the Torah.
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