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Orchard of Delights
True faith derives from realizing that God is the source of all things,
even those things that appear to be “curses.” That is why the Talmud
instructs us to bless both the good and what initially appears to be
“bad” (Berachot 54a). While reaching such a positive attitude is not
easy, Judaism teaches us to strive for it, to search for the good in all
eventualities. As the famous Torah scholar Nachum Ish Gam Zu was
fond of saying: “This [event, which appears to be negative] is also for
the good” (Ta’anit 21a).
£Ego ClarificationEgo Clarification
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As we have discussed in the previous two sections, Re’eh’s brief
opening verse contains a myriad of subtle yet deep meanings. In
addition, this opening verse – “See – I place before you today a
blessing and a curse” – can also be read in a slightly different derash
manner: “See, the ‘I’ – the ego – placed within you today; this itself
can be either a blessing or a curse.”
This homiletic reading is based on one of the Ba’al Shem Tov’s
teachings. He interpreted the following words Moses spoke to the
people metaphorically: “I was standing between God and you at
that time to relate the word of God to you” (Deuteronomy 5:5).
The Ba’al Shem Tov explained that when Moses stated that “I was
standing between God and you,” he meant to imply that “the aspect
of ‘I’ – the ego – stands between you and God.” The notion that the
ego separates human beings from God stems from the fact that the
Hebrew word for “I” (anochi) is the root of the Hebrew word for
“ego” (anochiyut).
In truth there is a great paradox at work here. In essence, the pure
soul is at one with God and has no real independent status, yet God
has imbued man with a soul, but fashioned him in such a manner
that he feels quite independent. (This same paradox obviously shares
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Va’etchanan
Another question related to the obligation to cleave to God is how
near we can actually expect to get to Him. On the one hand, God
informs Moses that no one can see His face and live, as He is an
all consuming fire; yet, on the other hand, God explains to Miriam
and Aaron that “mouth to mouth do I speak to him [Moses], in a
clear vision and not in riddles, upon the image of God does he gaze”
(Numbers 12:8).
These verses convey a paradoxical reality: God is both intimately
accessible and awesomely beyond anything we can grasp, at one and
the same time. These two aspects are referred to as the simultaneous
states of Divine immanence and Divine transcendence. God is so
close yet so far, present yet beyond all perception. There are unique
moments in life when through prayer, meditation, being surrounded
by pristine nature, or experiencing intense joy or sorrow at a lifecycle
event, we feel God all around us and even within us. By the same
token, at other moments we feel abandoned and utterly alone, as God
seems nowhere to be found. God has promised us that the covenant
He made with our ancestors is eternal and unbreakable; however,
if we turn to other god’s he will surely hide His face on that day
(Deuteronomy 31:18).
The desire to cleave to God, whether in a mediated or unmediated
fashion, coupled with the awesome reality of drawing close to an
infinite and Omniscient God, is certainly fraught with spiritual
tension and uncertainty. Yet the soul, which is likened to a burning
flame, is naturally drawn to the fire and light of God. No matter
what the obstacles or impediments, the soul always desires and seeks
to be (re)united with God, its ultimate source.
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