What comes to mind is Shlomo's Torah on malki tzedek bringing bread and wine to Avraham. Bread is most delicious when it is fresh and wine, when it is old. The lesson is when we talk about God, we should be imparting an aspect that is at the same time so new and so ancient.
A rebellious Jewish philosopher once told me, over lunch at the kosher Subway on Ave J (alav hashalom), that there are two paradigms in Klal Yisrael: Yehudah and Yosef.
Yehudah is literally the basis of the word Jew. A Jew is a Jew wherever s/he is in the world. A Jew is a Jew whether there is one or ten or thousands. A Ben Yisrael's obligations to G-d become a type of religion, comparable to any other world religion.
Yosef is the basis of the NATION of Israel. A Ben Yisrael's obligations to G-d form a component of the national character. Shmiras Hamitzvos becomes a national imperative, and requires a critical mass of our people, living in our land, following our Torah.
I think that these days most people are desperate to HOLD ON to what ever they can, so that's probably the Dominant Force. But I think that in reality what people should be doing is Growing or Building up. The only way that anyone will ever be successful in getting closer to Hashem is if it's created from within. Everything else is just the basis of what you need to grow from. I would never call that Springing Off.
What comes to mind is Shlomo's Torah on malki tzedek bringing bread and wine to Avraham. Bread is most delicious when it is fresh and wine, when it is old. The lesson is when we talk about God, we should be imparting an aspect that is at the same time so new and so ancient.
ReplyDeleteThat is true, but I do think you can only point yourself in one direction, no?
DeleteA rebellious Jewish philosopher once told me, over lunch at the kosher Subway on Ave J (alav hashalom), that there are two paradigms in Klal Yisrael: Yehudah and Yosef.
ReplyDeleteYehudah is literally the basis of the word Jew. A Jew is a Jew wherever s/he is in the world. A Jew is a Jew whether there is one or ten or thousands. A Ben Yisrael's obligations to G-d become a type of religion, comparable to any other world religion.
Yosef is the basis of the NATION of Israel. A Ben Yisrael's obligations to G-d form a component of the national character. Shmiras Hamitzvos becomes a national imperative, and requires a critical mass of our people, living in our land, following our Torah.
Right now, we're up to 2 1/2 out of 3. :o)
I think that these days most people are desperate to HOLD ON to what ever they can, so that's probably the Dominant Force. But I think that in reality what people should be doing is Growing or Building up. The only way that anyone will ever be successful in getting closer to Hashem is if it's created from within. Everything else is just the basis of what you need to grow from. I would never call that Springing Off.
ReplyDeleteLook at the background photo of this blog. That aint Brooklyn.
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