The Torah must apply just as well to our present-day problems as it did to the issues faced by our ancestors in the desert
(and must not change in order to have application to the present).
The verse in the Torah referring to man being created in the Divine image, betzalmeinu kidmuseinu
[in our image, in our likeness] has numerous aspects of interpretation.
One of them is that the human was made to resemble his Creator by
consisting of opposite extremes and yet being a complete entity. The
human consists of flesh and skin, blood, etc., which come under the
jurisdiction of the five senses. Yet when one speaks of his love and
friendship for another, he does not refer to his physical person but to
his character, personality and spiritual attributes, which are the
extreme opposite, in that these things cannot be touched, seen or heard.
This integration of extremes in the human is referred to by the word betzalmeinu,
indicating a likeness to the Almighty who is the ultimate unity. . . .
The Almighty does not desire opposing forces and nations to fight one
another, but rather to make peace and live in unity. . . . Similarly, it
is through the temptations of the physical body that the soul reaches
perfection.
Question: How would you define Judaism in a nutshell?
Answer: Your question is reminiscent of the ger in the Gemara
[convert in the Talmud] who asked Hillel a similar question.
The essence of Judaism is that Judaism is not
abstract and detached from life, nor is it limited to a certain portion
of human activity or irrelevant to his environment. If he is a true Jew,
it must permeate his whole being 24 hours a day, and concern
all of his activities. He must believe in G‑d Almighty as an
absolute unity, which excludes all possibility of something outside of
Him. He must accept G‑d as the Creator of the universe not only at the
moment of creation, but in every moment afterwards as well. If he were
to think that G‑d was the Creator only then at the time of creation, but
now the world exists on its own merits and that things happen by
coincidence—this would be the opposite of unity. If you accept the first
postulate of Unity, that the w
| You
said that we should make religion part of our daily lives. However,
some of us feel that we cannot accept religion completely. Is there any
value in compromise? |
orld is constantly maintained by Him, then every one
of us fits in the general pattern of the universe. You must do
everything in a certain manner, for otherwise it would confuse the
system of the universe. There is a divine pattern for each of us, and
each act brings us a step further in the right direction—towards our
mission in life.
One student: You said that we should make
religion part of our daily lives. However, some of us feel that we
cannot accept religion completely. Is there any value in compromise? For
example, eating kosher but not to wear a hat.
Answer: Nobody is perfect. “There is no tzaddik
[righteous person] on earth that has never sinned.” Even the most
righteous is lacking in some aspect, yet this doesn’t impair the good
that he does perform. Every mitzvah gives him additional power to
continue.
Same student: I meant a permanent compromise. That he is not interested in fulfilling some precepts at all?
Answer: Let him do as much as he can
today—tomorrow he will try to fulfill even more. Or maybe the day after
tomorrow. G‑d has infinite patience. But why postpone till tomorrow what
you can do now?
Another student: I come from a small community and never had a
good Jewish education. I find the Reform too simplified and liberal, but
I cannot follow the Orthodox services. What shall I do?
Answer: You are young, and you have before you all the
time in the world to learn even more than those who already have a Jewish education. It is stated in Avos: Lo alecha hamelachah ligmor—you are not expected to learn everything at once. A little bit each day, as long as you are on the right track. Start with Chumash
[Pentateuch], Kitzur Shulchan Aruch [abridged Code of Jewish Law] in English, Ein Yaakov
[a compilation of homiletics and stories from the Talmud] in English.
Avoid the complacency of thinking that you have achieved the summit;
rather know that you have more to strive for tomorrow, and G‑d will give
you strength.
My major objection to Reform and Conservative Judaism
is that they compromise their ideals. They make it easy for you to
achieve the summit, and then they say you need strive for no higher.
Orthodoxy says you must strive to become a little bit better each day.
The stories in the Bible and Talmud apply to every era.
Rabbi Akiva was 40 years old and had to support a family, and yet started with
[teaching]
alef bais [the Hebrew alphabet] and became one of
the greatest rabbis of all times. This teaches us that if you set your
will to it, you will achieve it.
