What does it mean to be alive? Version 2

“See that I have placed in front of you today life and good ... ” (Deuteronomy 30:15)

What constitutes being alive? This matter is crystallized from an incidental Halachic perspective describing the dismantling of the appropriate metaphysical and universal confluence of elements in terms of end of life. As the Code of Law (YD 339) articulates, it is the moment the soul exits the body. A priori, the soul’s presence in the body is life.

Of course, technical mechanics for the aforementioned reality is not the exclusive prerequisite for being alive.

The Midrash (Tanchuma, V’zos Habracha) unveils the secret to being alive. “An evil person during their lifetime is like he is dead because he sees the sun shine and doesn’t bless … eats and drinks and doesn’t bless. However, the righteous recite a blessing on everything that they eat, drink, see and hear.” (Also see Brachos 18a) Hence, the difference between being alive and dead is the recitation of blessings.

Rabbi Meir Reiss (Ohr Lenisivasi, introduction) enlightens the deeper meaning of this Midrash. Life is awareness. When one’s senses are awake to the radiance of the shining sun, the blossoming of beautiful flowers, the scent of stirring aroma of a myriad of spices, the taste of succulent foods, the enrapturing panoramic views of the planet’s wonders, and fantastic intricacies of the inner contrivances of organisms, he is alive. Drifting through life without attentiveness to one’s surroundings is to be as lifeless as a rock. Constant recitation of blessings connected to the vicissitudes of life is emblematic of one’s lifeforce’s vibrancy.

For example, veterans of war remember every detail of their exploits while they might not recall their experiences a few years past. The reason for this is elementary. In midst of the battlefield every move can be the difference between life and death. They were forced to be aware of every decision. They were alive. Now in mundane existence each decision is not as weighty. Therefore, they don’t feel as alive.

This is true in an intellectual sense as well. Awareness of all legitimate ideas engender vibrancy. Ensconcing oneself in an echo chamber of like-minded perspectives eradicates proportionality deadening awareness. This is because opposing view points help to concretize our opinions. If we don’t clarify our positions they can become extreme. This is why R’ Yochanan didn’t want to live without Reish Lakish as a colleague. He said, “whenever I said something he would ask me twenty-four questions ...” ( Bava Metzia 84a).

Therefore, it’s important to embrace debate. Instead of blocking folks on social media or refusing to debate them, it would be constructive to consider their opinions and deal with the issues honestly.

Truthfully, the Torah is the ultimate source of awareness, of life as it states in Proverbs (3:18), “It is a tree of life.” It is taught in the Ethics of Our Fathers (6:7) and we declare it in the morning and Torah reading blessings. (Siddur)

It’s study facilitates awareness with presentation of all possible perspectives in a Socratic dialogue.

Understanding this helps us to cope with the dramatic declaration of Rabbi Dostai bar Yannai in the name of Rabbi Meir in the Ethics of Our Fathers (3:10). “Whoever forgets anything of his Torah learning, Scripture considers it as if he is liable for the death penalty.”

Rabbi Meir’s declaration is not a matter of penalty rather of consequence. Certainly, one who forgets his Torah study is not going to be executed by a tribunal but he has severed his connection with the Living God (Tiferes Yisrael, ad loc) which is life itself. 

http://m.jewishaz.com/religiouslife/what-does-it-mean-to-be-alive/article_499af544-b119-11e8-bb02-8bbf4ba1836d.html?mode=jqm

Netzavim-Real Living

"See that I have placed in front of you today life and good..."(Deuteronomy 30:15)

What does it mean to live? From an incidental Halachic perspective the matter is really clear. When the appropriate confluence of the metaphysical and the universal is dismantled life ends. As the Code of Law (YD 339) articulates it is the moment the soul exits the body. A priori, the soul’s presence in the body is life.

Of course, technical mechanics for the aforementioned reality is not the exclusive prerequisite for being alive.

The Midrash (Tanchuma, V’zos Habracha) unveils the secret to being alive. “An evil person during their life time is like he is dead because he sees the sun shine and doesn’t bless…eats and drinks and doesn’t bless. However, the righteous recite a blessing on everything that they eat, drink, see and hear.” (Also see Brachos 18a) Hence, the difference between being alive and dead is the recitation of blessings.

Rabbi Meir Reiss (Ohr Lenisivasi, introduction) enlightens us to the meaning of this Midrash.

Life is awareness. When one’s senses are awake to the radiance of the shining sun, the blossoming of beautiful flowers, the scent of stirring aroma of a myriad of spices, the taste of succulent foods, the enrapturing panoramic views of the planet’s wonders, and fantastic intricacies of the inner contrivances of organisms, he is alive. On the contrary, drifting through life without attentiveness to one's surroundings is to be as lifeless as a rock. Constant recitation of blessings connected to the vicissitudes of life is emblematic of one’s life-force’s vibrancy.


For example, veterans of war remember every detail of their exploits while they might not recall their experiences a few years past. The reason for this is elementary. In midst of the battlefield every move can be the difference between life and death. They were forced to be aware of every decision. They were alive. Now in mundane existence of common life each decision is not as weighty. Their actions are not of as much import. Therefore, they don’t feel as alive.



Truthfully, the Torah is the ultimate source of awareness, of life as it states in Proverbs (3:18), “It is a tree of life.” It is taught in the Ethics of Our Fathers (6:7) and we declare it in the morning and Torah reading blessings (Siddur).

Understanding, this idea helps us to cope with the almost scandalous and dramatic declaration of Rabbi Dostai bar Yannai in the name of Rabbi Meir in the Ethics of Our Fathers(3:10). “Whoever forgets anything of his Torah learning, Scripture considers it as if he liable for the death penalty.”

Rabbi Meir’s declaration is not a matter of penalty rather of consequence. Certainly, one who forgets his Torah study is not going to be executed by a tribunal but he has severed his connection with Living God (Tiferes Yisrael, ad loc) which is life itself.

Netzavim-Teshuva-"Return of the Jedi

"And you will return to Hashem and listen to his voice..." (Deuteronomy 30:2)

Teshuva - “Return” of the Jedi

Certain images in life are so vivid, so poignant, that they strike a deep cord within our psyche. The inevitable effect is that we never forget them. For many, one such image is the climactic ending of the movie Return of the Jedi.

In a scene charged with emotional tension, an epic battle between the dark force and good ensues. The scene is in the Death Star throne room of the Emperor. Darth Vader, the Emperor’s right-hand man, and Luke Skywalker are enwrapped in a classic light-saber clash.


We discover that Vader is really Anakin Skywalker, Luke’s father, who gave in to evil, capitulating to his dark side. The Emperor tries his best to get Luke to give in to his anger and embrace the dark side. Luke immerges victorious, refusing to kill the incapacitated Vader and allow his vengeful passion to control him. The Emperor, in a fury of rage, moves to kill Luke.

The stage is set and in a moving change of heart, Darth Vader returns from the shadows as Luke’s caring father, drawing upon the spark of good that was still shinning within his corrupt soul. He clutches the Emperor and propels him to his doom. In a moment, the symbol of the dark side is pure white. Darth Vader, after a lifetime of evil, is suddenly Anakin Skywalker, a hero forever.

We walk away, emotionally exhausted, wondering about what we have just experienced. Why was it so stirring? Some might wonder, can one really become a hero in one moment?

The answer is that this presentation has painted an allegory of real life to which we can relate. We are complex beings comprised of many facets, levels, and layers. Nobody is purely evil or entirely good. For most of us, our own lives lack the drama of good against evil. But the truth is, on some level that is exactly what is happening.

From year to year our choices affect us more than we realize and we can drift slowly towards darkness. But regardless of how corroded our spiritual being becomes, we can always muster our latent Herculean spiritual vigor and access that which is untainted within the inner recesses of our hearts. It is never too late to choose pure good.

The translation of the word Teshuva in Hebrew is “return.” The concept of repentance in Judaism is to let go of the evil in your life and to return to the good – no drama required. The purity that materializes can be tangible – you can feel the difference.

Darth Vader was given his moment –his son’s triumph over evil pierced through his black mask and with both their lives on the line, along with the epic battle between good and evil, he had to choose. And in an ending fit for the High Holidays, Darth Vader does Teshuva. His choice inspires us because we sense the same potential within ourselves.

In the words of Maimonides(Laws of Teshuva) the famous 12th-century scholar, “free will is granted to all mankind. If one desires to turn himself to the path of good and righteous, the choice is his…Since free choice is granted to all, a person should always strive to do Teshuva…”