Higher Authority – The Pitfall Of Self Deification

Walking along a steep cliff, Jake accidentally came too close to the edge and, alas, off he went. Grabbing at a tree branch, he was luckily able to break the fall, but Jake new his troubles weren’t over. There was no way he could climb back up the steep cliff; neither could he hang on much longer. No wonder that a single glance at the canyon’s 1,000 foot drop, elicited a frantic cry for help.

After calling for some time, a responding voice could finally be heard: “Jake? Is that you there?
“Yes, yes, it is I! Where are you, I can’t see you?
”I am the Lord, Jake. I’m everywhere.“
”Oh G-d, is that really You?
“Yes son, as much as it’ll ever be!”
“Lord, I promise I’ll be a good person… I’ll never sin again; I’ll be a loyal servant for the rest of my life… Just get me out of this place! Please!”

“Easy on the promises son. First let’s get you out; then we can talk. Now listen carefully, here’s what you need to do.

“Go ahead please; I’ll do anything.”

“Very well Jake. At this time please let go of the branch.”

“What?”

“I need you to trust me Jake and let go of the branch.”

After a long pause, Jake’s frantic voice can finally be heard again: “Help! Help! Is there anyone ‘RATIONAL’ up there to talk to?”

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“A notice in The Jewish Times invited everyone to join a local group in “creative prayer” on the following Friday night. Are they implying that classical Davening is not creative, but static and lifeless?

Creative prayers: all one needs for this are a few records, some poems, and a guitar. Obviously, Judaism encourages spontaneous prayer: We can reach out to our Maker at any time and in any language. But Judaism also insists on a certain discipline in prayer. When and how we pray is not left completely up to us.

I try hard to understand the devotees of non-traditional Davening. They are innocent; their hearts are in the right place; they are striving mightily to reach out to G-d and don’t quite know how; we have not succeeded in touching their souls. But in less understanding moments I sense that one of the key motivations of these creative services is to discard the classic entirely. “Why bother with stuff that was written by someone else? Roll your own,” said one of the creativists to me.

Some of this stems from naiveté and from a complete unawareness of the nature of real prayer; but there is a healthy dose of arrogance mixed with insensitivity. Is it not an effrontery to refuse to “mouth prayers written by someone else” and to convince ourselves that our homegrown variety can equal the power and majesty of the classical Jewish liturgy? Especially without having troubled to familiarize oneself with classic prayers offered up by Jews for millennia.

If we were religiously sensitive, we would tremble when we approach G-d, for we really do not how to address Him. Hate and suspicion, made from dust and returning to dust – are given the privilege of standing before the Creator of all and speaking to Him.

We know not what to say nor how to say it. Because of this, we draw our prayers from the classical vehicles of expression created for us by our heritage: the Psalms of King David, the songs of Moses, the praises of Joshua, the hymns of Yehudah HaLevi and other religious geniuses. Are these beneath us?

All of these create a mood of prayer, identify us with our people – past and present and future – makes us as one with them, channel our hearts and minds towards the Creator, and express – beyond the written word – our innermost inchoate feelings.

Does a musician consider it beneath him to play Beethoven? And doesn’t Beethoven say something new to us every time he is played?

In our narcissistic age, we have seen our reflection in the water and can see nothing else. With us, man is created in man’s image. We even create G-d in man’s image.” (Tales Out of Shul – Rabbi Emanuel Feldman)

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Is it not fascinating that the highest authority in the average person’s life is none other than his very own self? How often do we hear, by way of explanation of inexplicable attitudes and behaviors, the following remark: “But I’ve always done it that way?”

The fact of the matter is that people simply worship themselves. The more we would study this subject the more we would be forced to acknowledge this psychological absurdity.

This phenomenon is, in fact, the subject of a book, by a contemporary Jewish author, entitled: “Think Again.” The reason for the name, in the author’s own words, is the fact that most people make up their minds on the most critical issues in life when they are exceedingly young and never think about it again.

What this says is that we become the blind followers of our own creed. Our personal precedents tend to serve as the indisputable justification and basis for our lifelong philosophies, attitudes and conducts. We’re not just talking about the trivial “Small stuff,” like the merit of exercise (how dare I), or the virtue of broccoli, but regarding important cosmic truths and principles, “Big stuff,” as well.

Lifelong opinions concerning right and wrong, holy and profane, and moral versus immoral are cleaved to on the basis of half thought out personal traditions. This incongruity is likewise the historic source for much of chauvinism, bigotry and racism.

The question we need to ask ourselves is does it really make sense for man to perceive himself as the ultimate arbiter over the most delicate and consequential issues of life, especially in light of his proven propensity to resort to biased and habitual frames of reference?

The answer of course is no! While western culture prizes human intellect above all else, Judaism at its very core, asserts that if we wish to experience a modicum of spirituality, we must reach beyond the confines of the self. Moreover, in order to accomplish this higher feat, we are required to re-create our previously established intellectual paradigm and self perception.

While we may naturally identify with our mind, to the extent of confusing it for our actual identity – while it is common to find shelter in the safety of our minds, borders and limitations – Judaism demands that we shatter our intellectual fortress and discover higher Divine consciousness through self abnegation, known in Chassidic vernacular as “Bitul.” Bitul is required so as to make room for the higher reality.

In Judaism it’s not what you know that makes you great, it’s rather what you know you don’t know that opens the door for immeasurable leaps of holiness and Divine reality. A good question is worth more than the best answer and “I don’t know” is one of the most powerful expressions of the journey towards inner growth.

Much as the scientist must empty his cup of existing convictions and opinions before he can hear the voice that calls from beyond the halls of the mind, so too must we undergo a process of self evacuation and Bitul before we can absorb higher revelation and truth. When we realize that we don’t know everything, we’re open to receive. When the vessel, to whatever extent, is occupied by self and self conceived ideas, it is not capable of receiving new revelation, since no two things can occupy the same space, hence the need for self effacement and self abnegation. This in a nutshell is what the theme of our Parsha, Chukas, is all about.

Our Parsha conveys the mitzvah of the “Parah Adumah” (Red heifer). It is the classical example of a “Chok,” a statute decreed by G-d, whose ability to understand is beyond human comprehension. Concerning this Chok it is taught that G-d said, “I have decreed it, and you do not have permission to question it.” The lack of rationale or reason provided for the mitzvah of Parah Adumah has mystified mortal man from the day it was commanded. The logic and symbolism of these laws are indeed enigmatic.

The Jewish theme of reaching beyond reason, suggests a bond with G-d which is higher than our own intellect. It bespeaks awareness that life is based on Divine reality: the miraculous rather than the natural.

The emphasis on the authority and inner logic of Chukim is the perfect response to Korach’s rebellion.

Korach invoked a pragmatic common sense argument – why would one need a Mezuzah for a room filled with Sefarim (sacred books), or a fringe of Techeiles for an entirely blue garment – in order undermine Halachic reason, thereby undercutting Halachic authority.

The Torah provides a succinct yet forceful and profound rebuttal of this fundamental ideological challenge by presenting the idea of Chukim as exemplified by the Parah Adumah. It demonstrates that Halacha is not contingent upon common sense – that Divine intellect demands not comprehension but rather personal sacrifice and true commitment; Bitul.

While the logic and reason of these laws are a true mystery, they are no less sacred. So sacred, that the ashes of the red heifer which Moshe and Aharon prepared, were saved for posterity; passed from generation to generation. The vestigial ashes for Moshe’s original red heifer were actually incorporated into all of the subsequent formulas.

As such, the ensuing generations who performed the mitzvah of Parah Adumah doubtlessly believed, with unwavering faith, in its ritual power and magical energy.

The Chok bespeaks a form of knowing that is beyond the mind. Unlike intellectual understanding, which always sees two sides of an argument, this voice never doubts. It trusts itself implicitly, and speaks with absolute clarity. This form of knowledge comes from a deeper space, beyond the doubts and uncertainties that inevitably accompany the reasoning of the intellect. The truth within these words can be heard and felt by virtue of “Sacrifice” – the nullification and cleansing of our personal opinion and ego.

Given the above we can farther understand why this Parsha appears in the middle of the book of Numbers – a book that recounts the stories of human folly such as the miscalculations of the spies, the mutinous uprising of Korach, as well as the grumblings against the heavenly fare of manna and the Jews who wanted meat rather than manna.

Would the law of Parah Adumah not have been better placed with the laws of ritual purity and impurity – almost exclusively relegated to the book of Vayikra (Leviticus)? Wouldn’t the volume which is devoted to the subject of sacrificial offerings and a host of physio-spiritual conditions, not the least of which are the laws of Tzora’as, Zav, Zavah and Nidah, be a more fitting location for these laws?

Yet, on second thought it appears that the best place for these laws are indeed in the middle of the book of Numbers, precisely because it discusses the blunders of a generation that thought it was able to calculate and define everything according to logic – precisely because of its portrayal of a people whose ego and intellect were caught in every aspect of their religious observance.

There is arguably no better place to discuss the Red Heifer and its incomprehensible Divine wisdom than when dealing with misguided mortals who attempt to limit and confine Divine wisdom and instruction to human comprehension.

The tome that tells of spies who returned from Canaan exclaiming that according to their calculations there was no way for Israel to conquer the land, the volume that relates the story of Korach, who complained that according to his way of thinking things should be done differently, is precisely where the statutes of the Parah Adumah and its profound lesson belong.

Rashi asserts that when it comes to the Mitzvah of Parah Adumah: “Satan and the nations of the world taunt the Jews, saying: What is this commandment and what logic lies behind it? (Bamidbar 19:1). This implies that there is particular resistance to this higher form of Divine service; this should not come as a surprise.

It seems rather logical that the grater the mission, the greater will be the resistance of the unholy and ungodly forces. Still, it is also logical that the accomplishment and reward that is generated by this type of Divine service is that much greater as well.

May our observance of the Divine commandments, especially the Chukim, despite the increased challenges which their observance poses, have the intended effect in elevating us and the entire universe and yield the anticipated rewards in full measure and hasten the arrival of the righteous Moshiach BBA.