Why?
The Mystery of Pain
- May 6, 2021
- |
- 24 Iyyar 5781
Rabbi YY Jacobson
977 views
Why?
The Mystery of Pain
Rabbi YY Jacobson- May 06, 2021
"The fiery angels on High cried out in bitterness, 'Is this Torah, and is this its reward?' The enemy is desecrating Your Great and Awesome Name, blaspheming, and cursing the words of the Torah.
"Answered a Voice from Heaven, 'If I hear another sound, I will turn the world to water, I will make the earth chaos and emptiness, it is a decree before Me, so accept it, you who take pleasure in the Torah laws.'"
This is part of a poem recited during the Yom Kippur services (the poem titled "Aileh Ezkarah" is said during the Mussaf service), relating the tragic story of the Ten Martyrs. In the first and second century CE, Rabbi Akiva and nine of the greatest Jewish leaders and sages were tortured to death by the Romans, in the years and decades following the destruction of the Second Temple.
The above poem tells the story of the gruesome death of Rabbi Yishmael the High Priest, the skin of his saintly face flayed by the Emperor. The heavenly angels complain bitterly: Is this the reward for Torah? How can the Creator allow such horror in His world?
The Divine response is this: One more sound and I will destroy the world; I will revert it back to nothingness.
But why? Why would G-d destroy the world just because someone asks a fair question?
Imagine if a wife asks her husband: Why did you have to yell at the kids last night? And his response is: One more word and I will destroy the home! This guy, you will admit, needs help with anger management.
G-d could have told the angels gently, “You will not understand. My ways are not your ways; My mind is not your mind.” G-d could have said: “It is none of your business; when you will be G-d you will decide how to run the world.” But what type of strange reply is this? You will destroy the world just because the angels are protesting the suffering of a good man?
The Tailor
There is a profound insight quoted the name of the Vilna Gaon (1720-1797).
He tells the story of a great king who obtained the finest, elegant, and expensive fabric the world has ever seen. He gave it to a Jewish tailor asking him to weave it into a royal cloak the likes of which have not been seen. The tailor asked for six months to complete the job.
Six months later the garment was finished and presented to the king. It was even more exquisite than the monarch had imagined. Smooth as the sea, brilliant as the sun, it was so expertly sewn and fashioned that not a stitch could be seen anywhere; it was the ultimate in comfort, regality, and elegance.
The king tried it on and was overjoyed. He rewarded the Jew royally.
But that evening there was a knock on the king's door. Entered the Bishop, who despised the Jewish tailor. "Your majesty! Let us measure the garment and ensure that all of the material was used.” They measured the material and lo and behold, it was smaller than the original material given to the tailor.
Ha! The tailor had the brazen chutzpah of stealing some of this most expensive material of the king! The king had him arrested, tried, and sentenced to death for treason.
"May I have one last wish, your majesty?"
"Yes,” answered the king.
"I want you to give me the garment I just made and a pair of scissors."
The garment was given to the tailor. Slowly, he took the scissors and placed them on the garment. He began to cut and undo the entire garment, thread by thread.
The king was aghast. “What are you doing?”
“I have not stolen any of the material,” said the tailor. “But for me to prove my innocence, I need to undo the entire garment. Right now, you cannot observe in the cloak every inch of material you have given me. But if I undo the entire garment and revert it back to the way it was originally, I can show you how every centimeter of material can be accounted for.”
Back to No-Thingness
G-d wasn't telling the angels not to ask questions. He was not threatening them with destruction just because they protested the suffering of good people. Rather, He was telling them that when He created the world He did it with a plan—a plan that transcends the finite mind of any human being. We don’t expect a child to grasp the mind of an adult; how can we expect the mind of mortal man to wrap itself around infinity? if a human being can't wrap his brain around quantum mechanics, can he really expect to grasp the author of quantum physics? if we can't even figure out the properties of light, can we really know the mind of the Creator of light?
Like a stunning garment, every “thread,” every event, every moment, every experience, every story, has its place and purpose in the grand cosmic purpose. Every particle and wave of the universe is an essential part of the Divine plan, an indispensable note in the cosmic symphony. Every life and every death, and all that transpires in between, is part of a marvelous tapestry, somehow playing its role in the ultimate purpose of history.
But—G-d tells the angels—in order for you to understand any of this, it would be necessary to "undo everything," to undo the entire creation, to go back to the chaos and nothingness in the genesis of it all. We would need to return to the “prebiotic soup,” to the “ayin,” nothingness, that preceded reality as we know it. We need to return to the state of NO-THINGNESS, to the mind of infinity, which transcends and precedes time, space, matter, logic, and any description or definition.
If you want to understand the secret of how I run this world," says G-d to His angels, come back with me to the beginning of everything.
Right now, all you see is a few minutes of the “movie” of history. All you can appreciate are a few chapters in the middle of a long novel. If you want to understand the inner workings of the cosmos, I have to show you the film from the beginning till the end; I have to read with you the book from the beginning till the very end. I must allow you to perceive existence from the vantage point of an infinite Creator.
In the words of G-d to suffering Job (Job chapters 38-39):
Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?... Do you know who fixed its dimensions, who measured it with a line? Onto what were its bases sunk? Who set its cornerstone?... Who closed the sea behind doors when it gushed forth out of the womb… and said, “you may come so far and no farther; here your surging waves will stop?”
Have you ever commanded the day to break, assigned dawn its place?... Have you penetrated to the sources of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep?
Have the gates of death been disclosed to you? Have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you surveyed the expanses of the earth? If you know of these—tell Me.
Until that moment, when we can gaze into the Divine mind, we can only trust. This is the essence of faith: We grieve and sob at losses so painful, and we trust that the ultimate meaning of life belongs to the realm of infinity.
- Comment
Class Summary:
Essay Behar-Bechukosai 5781
Dedicated by Schneur Greenfeld in gratitude.
"The fiery angels on High cried out in bitterness, 'Is this Torah, and is this its reward?' The enemy is desecrating Your Great and Awesome Name, blaspheming, and cursing the words of the Torah.
"Answered a Voice from Heaven, 'If I hear another sound, I will turn the world to water, I will make the earth chaos and emptiness, it is a decree before Me, so accept it, you who take pleasure in the Torah laws.'"
This is part of a poem recited during the Yom Kippur services (the poem titled "Aileh Ezkarah" is said during the Mussaf service), relating the tragic story of the Ten Martyrs. In the first and second century CE, Rabbi Akiva and nine of the greatest Jewish leaders and sages were tortured to death by the Romans, in the years and decades following the destruction of the Second Temple.
The above poem tells the story of the gruesome death of Rabbi Yishmael the High Priest, the skin of his saintly face flayed by the Emperor. The heavenly angels complain bitterly: Is this the reward for Torah? How can the Creator allow such horror in His world?
The Divine response is this: One more sound and I will destroy the world; I will revert it back to nothingness.
But why? Why would G-d destroy the world just because someone asks a fair question?
Imagine if a wife asks her husband: Why did you have to yell at the kids last night? And his response is: One more word and I will destroy the home! This guy, you will admit, needs help with anger management.
G-d could have told the angels gently, “You will not understand. My ways are not your ways; My mind is not your mind.” G-d could have said: “It is none of your business; when you will be G-d you will decide how to run the world.” But what type of strange reply is this? You will destroy the world just because the angels are protesting the suffering of a good man?
The Tailor
There is a profound insight quoted the name of the Vilna Gaon (1720-1797).
He tells the story of a great king who obtained the finest, elegant, and expensive fabric the world has ever seen. He gave it to a Jewish tailor asking him to weave it into a royal cloak the likes of which have not been seen. The tailor asked for six months to complete the job.
Six months later the garment was finished and presented to the king. It was even more exquisite than the monarch had imagined. Smooth as the sea, brilliant as the sun, it was so expertly sewn and fashioned that not a stitch could be seen anywhere; it was the ultimate in comfort, regality, and elegance.
The king tried it on and was overjoyed. He rewarded the Jew royally.
But that evening there was a knock on the king's door. Entered the Bishop, who despised the Jewish tailor. "Your majesty! Let us measure the garment and ensure that all of the material was used.” They measured the material and lo and behold, it was smaller than the original material given to the tailor.
Ha! The tailor had the brazen chutzpah of stealing some of this most expensive material of the king! The king had him arrested, tried, and sentenced to death for treason.
"May I have one last wish, your majesty?"
"Yes,” answered the king.
"I want you to give me the garment I just made and a pair of scissors."
The garment was given to the tailor. Slowly, he took the scissors and placed them on the garment. He began to cut and undo the entire garment, thread by thread.
The king was aghast. “What are you doing?”
“I have not stolen any of the material,” said the tailor. “But for me to prove my innocence, I need to undo the entire garment. Right now, you cannot observe in the cloak every inch of material you have given me. But if I undo the entire garment and revert it back to the way it was originally, I can show you how every centimeter of material can be accounted for.”
Back to No-Thingness
G-d wasn't telling the angels not to ask questions. He was not threatening them with destruction just because they protested the suffering of good people. Rather, He was telling them that when He created the world He did it with a plan—a plan that transcends the finite mind of any human being. We don’t expect a child to grasp the mind of an adult; how can we expect the mind of mortal man to wrap itself around infinity? if a human being can't wrap his brain around quantum mechanics, can he really expect to grasp the author of quantum physics? if we can't even figure out the properties of light, can we really know the mind of the Creator of light?
Like a stunning garment, every “thread,” every event, every moment, every experience, every story, has its place and purpose in the grand cosmic purpose. Every particle and wave of the universe is an essential part of the Divine plan, an indispensable note in the cosmic symphony. Every life and every death, and all that transpires in between, is part of a marvelous tapestry, somehow playing its role in the ultimate purpose of history.
But—G-d tells the angels—in order for you to understand any of this, it would be necessary to "undo everything," to undo the entire creation, to go back to the chaos and nothingness in the genesis of it all. We would need to return to the “prebiotic soup,” to the “ayin,” nothingness, that preceded reality as we know it. We need to return to the state of NO-THINGNESS, to the mind of infinity, which transcends and precedes time, space, matter, logic, and any description or definition.
If you want to understand the secret of how I run this world," says G-d to His angels, come back with me to the beginning of everything.
Right now, all you see is a few minutes of the “movie” of history. All you can appreciate are a few chapters in the middle of a long novel. If you want to understand the inner workings of the cosmos, I have to show you the film from the beginning till the end; I have to read with you the book from the beginning till the very end. I must allow you to perceive existence from the vantage point of an infinite Creator.
In the words of G-d to suffering Job (Job chapters 38-39):
Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?... Do you know who fixed its dimensions, who measured it with a line? Onto what were its bases sunk? Who set its cornerstone?... Who closed the sea behind doors when it gushed forth out of the womb… and said, “you may come so far and no farther; here your surging waves will stop?”
Have you ever commanded the day to break, assigned dawn its place?... Have you penetrated to the sources of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep?
Have the gates of death been disclosed to you? Have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you surveyed the expanses of the earth? If you know of these—tell Me.
Until that moment, when we can gaze into the Divine mind, we can only trust. This is the essence of faith: We grieve and sob at losses so painful, and we trust that the ultimate meaning of life belongs to the realm of infinity.
Essay on Suffering
Rabbi YY Jacobson- May 6, 2021
- |
- 24 Iyyar 5781
- |
- 977 views
Why?
The Mystery of Pain
Rabbi YY Jacobson- May 06, 2021
"The fiery angels on High cried out in bitterness, 'Is this Torah, and is this its reward?' The enemy is desecrating Your Great and Awesome Name, blaspheming, and cursing the words of the Torah.
"Answered a Voice from Heaven, 'If I hear another sound, I will turn the world to water, I will make the earth chaos and emptiness, it is a decree before Me, so accept it, you who take pleasure in the Torah laws.'"
This is part of a poem recited during the Yom Kippur services (the poem titled "Aileh Ezkarah" is said during the Mussaf service), relating the tragic story of the Ten Martyrs. In the first and second century CE, Rabbi Akiva and nine of the greatest Jewish leaders and sages were tortured to death by the Romans, in the years and decades following the destruction of the Second Temple.
The above poem tells the story of the gruesome death of Rabbi Yishmael the High Priest, the skin of his saintly face flayed by the Emperor. The heavenly angels complain bitterly: Is this the reward for Torah? How can the Creator allow such horror in His world?
The Divine response is this: One more sound and I will destroy the world; I will revert it back to nothingness.
But why? Why would G-d destroy the world just because someone asks a fair question?
Imagine if a wife asks her husband: Why did you have to yell at the kids last night? And his response is: One more word and I will destroy the home! This guy, you will admit, needs help with anger management.
G-d could have told the angels gently, “You will not understand. My ways are not your ways; My mind is not your mind.” G-d could have said: “It is none of your business; when you will be G-d you will decide how to run the world.” But what type of strange reply is this? You will destroy the world just because the angels are protesting the suffering of a good man?
The Tailor
There is a profound insight quoted the name of the Vilna Gaon (1720-1797).
He tells the story of a great king who obtained the finest, elegant, and expensive fabric the world has ever seen. He gave it to a Jewish tailor asking him to weave it into a royal cloak the likes of which have not been seen. The tailor asked for six months to complete the job.
Six months later the garment was finished and presented to the king. It was even more exquisite than the monarch had imagined. Smooth as the sea, brilliant as the sun, it was so expertly sewn and fashioned that not a stitch could be seen anywhere; it was the ultimate in comfort, regality, and elegance.
The king tried it on and was overjoyed. He rewarded the Jew royally.
But that evening there was a knock on the king's door. Entered the Bishop, who despised the Jewish tailor. "Your majesty! Let us measure the garment and ensure that all of the material was used.” They measured the material and lo and behold, it was smaller than the original material given to the tailor.
Ha! The tailor had the brazen chutzpah of stealing some of this most expensive material of the king! The king had him arrested, tried, and sentenced to death for treason.
"May I have one last wish, your majesty?"
"Yes,” answered the king.
"I want you to give me the garment I just made and a pair of scissors."
The garment was given to the tailor. Slowly, he took the scissors and placed them on the garment. He began to cut and undo the entire garment, thread by thread.
The king was aghast. “What are you doing?”
“I have not stolen any of the material,” said the tailor. “But for me to prove my innocence, I need to undo the entire garment. Right now, you cannot observe in the cloak every inch of material you have given me. But if I undo the entire garment and revert it back to the way it was originally, I can show you how every centimeter of material can be accounted for.”
Back to No-Thingness
G-d wasn't telling the angels not to ask questions. He was not threatening them with destruction just because they protested the suffering of good people. Rather, He was telling them that when He created the world He did it with a plan—a plan that transcends the finite mind of any human being. We don’t expect a child to grasp the mind of an adult; how can we expect the mind of mortal man to wrap itself around infinity? if a human being can't wrap his brain around quantum mechanics, can he really expect to grasp the author of quantum physics? if we can't even figure out the properties of light, can we really know the mind of the Creator of light?
Like a stunning garment, every “thread,” every event, every moment, every experience, every story, has its place and purpose in the grand cosmic purpose. Every particle and wave of the universe is an essential part of the Divine plan, an indispensable note in the cosmic symphony. Every life and every death, and all that transpires in between, is part of a marvelous tapestry, somehow playing its role in the ultimate purpose of history.
But—G-d tells the angels—in order for you to understand any of this, it would be necessary to "undo everything," to undo the entire creation, to go back to the chaos and nothingness in the genesis of it all. We would need to return to the “prebiotic soup,” to the “ayin,” nothingness, that preceded reality as we know it. We need to return to the state of NO-THINGNESS, to the mind of infinity, which transcends and precedes time, space, matter, logic, and any description or definition.
If you want to understand the secret of how I run this world," says G-d to His angels, come back with me to the beginning of everything.
Right now, all you see is a few minutes of the “movie” of history. All you can appreciate are a few chapters in the middle of a long novel. If you want to understand the inner workings of the cosmos, I have to show you the film from the beginning till the end; I have to read with you the book from the beginning till the very end. I must allow you to perceive existence from the vantage point of an infinite Creator.
In the words of G-d to suffering Job (Job chapters 38-39):
Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?... Do you know who fixed its dimensions, who measured it with a line? Onto what were its bases sunk? Who set its cornerstone?... Who closed the sea behind doors when it gushed forth out of the womb… and said, “you may come so far and no farther; here your surging waves will stop?”
Have you ever commanded the day to break, assigned dawn its place?... Have you penetrated to the sources of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep?
Have the gates of death been disclosed to you? Have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you surveyed the expanses of the earth? If you know of these—tell Me.
Until that moment, when we can gaze into the Divine mind, we can only trust. This is the essence of faith: We grieve and sob at losses so painful, and we trust that the ultimate meaning of life belongs to the realm of infinity.
- Comment
Dedicated by Schneur Greenfeld in gratitude.
Class Summary:
Essay Behar-Bechukosai 5781
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Anonymous -2 years ago
Rabbi YY- I heard you speak about the 45 Meron Kedoshim on Torah Anytime- of which you submitted your central theme in this essay. In that speech, you took my breath away, but restored my Neshama. שה׳ ישלם שכרך as only He can.
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