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Becoming glory conscious --- of Him, not us By Jonathan Rosenblum
The need to be deeper people, with the self-knowledge that comes from reflecting on what makes one unique
Where Torah society differs, I think, is that it offers a way of addressing all those distinct challenges by focusing on one central point: What is our purpose in this world? This has little to do with money, and everything to do with changing consciousness.
In chapter 19 of Mesilas Yesharim, the Ramchal (d. 1746 )describes the chassid (pious one) as one whose every thought and deed is with the intention of increasing Kavod Shomayim (the glory of the Almighty) in the world. Admittedly, that is an extraordinarily high level only a few ever attained, even in the Ramchal's day. But it points the way towards a consciousness that should be the focus of our educational expectations . Each of us must know and convey to our children that everything we do in the world either increases or lessens Kavod Shomayimin the world, through the messages we convey.
The impact of such a consciousness would be felt on both the individual and communal level. To the extent that one is aware of every moment as an opportunity to increase Kavod Shomayim, one must constantly ask the question: What is the right thing for me to be doing now. The answer to that question is by no means obvious: Most of our life is lived between the realm of permitted and proscribed.
But the only place to seek the answer is the Torah combined with knowledge of ourselves. The Torah, writes Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (d. 1888), is Divine Anthropology. The Torah teaches us about Man from the point of view of the Divine. The mitzvos (religious duties) must be understood not as arbitrary rules that demand only obedience, but as the tools through which He seeks to shape the ideal human being. Accordingly, Rabbi Hirsch explains the meaning and life lessons of each detail of the mitzvos.
Approaching Torah in that fashion — as a continuous message about how to conduct ourselves — intensifies our learning. One example of the approach will show how it encourages probing questions and leads to real life answers.
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The foremost biblical commentator, Rashi (d. 1105) , describes the biblical Jacob as preparing for war, sending gifts, and praying in anticipation of meeting Esau. Why, asked Rabbi Noah Weinberg (d. 2009), should preparations for war precede prayer, which would seem the primary response of a man of faith? He answered that every situation in which we find ourselves is a message from the Divine. First, we have to show Him that we are listening and know that something must be changed, and then we can pray that the test come in a less onerous form.
A Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of the Almighty) consciousness also fills one's life with the idealism and sense of purpose that is too lacking today. Each of us has a mission that no one else can fulfill, and that mission does not depend on class rank, popularity or good looks. It derives from the fact that no one else was ever in exactly the same situation as I am at this precise moment because no one else was ever exactly like me or shared the same personal history. And therefore the message that I am broadcasting to increase Kavod Shomayim (or, Heaven forbid, the opposite) is one that has never been heard in exactly the same way before. And it never will be again.
Thinking more about Kavod Shomayim would thus make us deeper people, with the self-knowledge that comes from reflection upon what makes one unique. And it would fill our lives with more passion and lead to a more intense connection to our Torah learning.
There is also a crucial communal dimension to Kavod Shomayim consciousness: It reinforces our sense of ourselves as being inextricably bound to every other co-religionist. In the same chapter previously mentioned, the Ramchal, based on Pirkei D'Rebbe Eliezer, describes the pious as constantly thinking about the good of the generation.
A Kavod Shomayim perspective necessitates that we think beyond our individual and familial lives. Rabbi Shimon Schwab (d. 1995 )writes that it was our forefather Jacob's desire to rest from proclaiming the Divine's Name in the world to focus on his own spiritual growth and the education of his children that opened the door for the Satan.
The more involved we are in the message that we wish to convey the less we will be threatened by others. As the football coaches say, "The best defense is a good offense."
When we are constantly thinking in terms of Kavod Shomayim, we cannot help be aware that someone is receiving the messages that we are transmitting. Sometimes our only audience is the Divine, but often times it is all those in whose presence we find ourselves, whether gentiles or Jews.
Only with coming of the Messiah, will all the tears of Jewish life, both individual and communal, be wiped away. Until the ultimate revelation of Kavod Shomayim, our primary task is to demonstrate our eagerness for the Redemption by everything in our power to increase Kavod Shomayim through our own deeds and by bringing us closer to our Father in Heaven.
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Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and the media consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
To comment, please click here. JWR contributor Jonathan Rosenblum is founder of the Jerusalem-based Jewish Media Resources. A respected commentator on Israeli politics, society, culture and the Israeli legal system, who speaks frequently on these topics in the United States, Europe, and Israel, his articles appear regularly in numerous Jewish periodicals in the United States and Israel. Rosenblum is also the author of seven biographies of major modern Jewish figures. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago and Yale Law School.
© 2012, Jonathan Rosenblum
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