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Torah – Be Holy – Be Good
Thoughts on Holiness and Beginnings
October 2007
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Photo by
Chris Gaines |
Let me tell you a story about a great Rabbi who has come to teach me a lot.
After his ordination, this Rabbi set out to his first pulpit when he was approached by one of his congregants. This older woman asked the new Rabbi, "Rabbi, what is the difference between heaven and hell in Judaism?"
Rather than boldly answering such a question tersely, the Rabbi engaged his inquirer in a conversation about text and tradition, legend and thought. This, he figured, was a way in which he could show off his wisdom based on all that he had learned. It was a fine attempt but that night, when the Rabbi went to sleep, an angel came to him and said "Rabbi, come with me". The Rabbi arose and went along with the Angel.
The Angel took the Rabbi down a long hallway. They turned a corner and entered into a lavish ballroom. The room was filled with the finest of everything. There were chandeliers illuminating the ornate and elegant table settings; long tables were dressed beautifully in fine linen. And the most marvelous buffet of the finest foods;
Rich and succulent and simply delicious. The guests were even clothed beautifully, each in gowns and tuxedos. It was the essence of elegance and decadence.
The Rabbi was confused. "Why have you dragged me here, of all places in the middle of the night?!" He went on with a litany of complaints. Until finally the angel hushed him and said, "Shhh Rabbi, stop talking so much. Just stop and feel for a moment and then look carefully."
The Rabbi did. Almost immediately he felt a sense of pain, loss and sadness.
When the Rabbi looked carefully, he saw that with all the delicious food laid out in front of the guests, no one was eating because not one guest had elbows. Their arms were locked and stretched out and they could not eat! The angel turned to the Rabbi and said, "Welcome to Hell. Now, come with me."
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The Angel then took the Rabbi down another long hallway. They turned another corner and entered into another ballroom exactly like the first with the same sophistication, finery and elegance. The Rabbi was annoyed. “Why are doing this to me? Why are you taking me to the same place a few doors down? I get it, I get it”.
The Angel said, “Do you? Now stop talking. Just feel and then look carefully.”
This time the Rabbi felt a sense of connection, of wholeness, of sustenance, of fulfillment. The Angel said quietly, look carefully.
The Rabbi immediately looked at each guests arms to see if they had elbows. And much to his surprise, they still did not. But the difference here was that each person was taking the food from in front of themselves and feeding it to the person across from them. The Rabbi marveled. And the Angel simply said to the Rabbi, “Welcome to Heaven”. The Rabbi then floated back to his bed.
Time passed and this young Rabbi came to be an old wise sage. Towards the end of his career, he was approached by a younger congregant who inquired, “Rabbi, before you retire, can you share with how you became so wise and so smart. What did you study?”
The Rabbi looked back at his young friend and said, “I learned very early on that, yes, it is utterly important that you learn Torah, Mishnah, Midrash and Talmud. It is vital that you study, learn and read as much as you can. But I also realized, at the same time, that the most important aspects of the world are the seemingly simple acts. Those simple acts of creation like reaching across the table to feed your neighbor. Or helping the stranger cross the street. Or offering a hug to someone in need. Even listening just because you care; Laughing, loving and living. It is our acts of creation that make us truly wise. After all, at the very beginning of the Torah, we do not hear a recipe of commandments, rather we learn how we each are created “Btzelem Elohim” – in the image of God. Guiding us towards understanding how we relate to others.
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And so too it is for us, this Shabbat Bereshit, when we are reminded of all that we have the ability and power to create by our action. None of which are not beyond our reach.
Quite simply we can say, as Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel teaches, “A person reaches in three directions: inward, to oneself; up, to God; and out, to others.” No matter if we have elbows or not. Remember our actions impact more than just ourselves, they impact those around us and we need to look around and see the Divine within each person.
Judaism does not actually have a belief in heaven and hell. In fact, the only difference between the two banquets were the way people acted, not where they were.
God created the world around us and created us to dwell within. We are the ones who elevate ourselves and realize the holiness that is around and reach out towards understanding life and interacting with others. No matter what we look like: what color, age, economic background, or whether or not we have elbows. No matter what, there is an element of the Divine which we embrace when we act in the world.
It is up to us to elevate our Godliness and to reach out and do that simple act of creation. Who knows, we may be creating a whole new world for so eone else around us. May this be our blessing.
Cain yehi ratzon…
Rabbi Glenn Ettman
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