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

Ki Sovo-Suffering Contributes To Our Spiritual Growth

Chief Justice John Roberts, in a commencement speech at Cardigan Mountain School on June 3, said:

“From time to time in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly so that you will come to know the value of justice. I hope that you will suffer betrayal because that will teach you the importance of loyalty. Sorry to say, but I hope you will be lonely from time to time so that you don’t take friends for granted … ”

Overcome with challenge, we ask, “Why are there righteous people and life’s bad for them? Why are there evil people and life’s good for them?” (Berachot 7a). Faced with a quagmire irresolvable in our minds, we write books like “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” (Harold S. Kushner) that postulate unsubstantiated hypotheses.

Then we hear a simple speech from a complex individual, the 17th chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, positing that bad things bear the fruit of life lessons. From that perspective, they are kind of good. It’s an irrefutable truth. The only comment news outlets can muster regarding his speech is “it’s unconventional” to propagate such a view at a commencement gathering.

Yes, we don’t have the right to put our fellow humans through travail for the sake of their success. It’s unethical (Bava Batra 16a).

But God is, so to speak, obliged to do so. He knows everyone’s limits, strengths and weaknesses. To use an idiom, He knows how much weight to put on the bar. If He didn’t, how would we learn?

Therefore, if the challenge is in front of us, we can overcome it because God put it there. If it could be better, it would be better. Our situation is the best it could be. But it’s for us to figure out the approach, the solution.

It could be like in “Tuesdays With Morrie” (Mitch Albom) when professor Morrie Schwartz used his dying moments to fashion the most impactful period of his life. Or it could be like in “Man’s Search for Meaning” (Viktor E. Frankl), when the author conjured an innovative way to repel the Nazis controlling him.

Today, society faces deep fissures in politics. Children’s self-image and relationship capacities are being decimated by the social media epidemic. Schools, public spaces, entertainment venues and arenas are devolving into mistreating females. They are failing to recognize what Ashley Montagu called “The Natural Superiority of Women.”

Instead, focus has shifted to emphasizing external superficiality. Internal life force, spiritual spark, emotional capacity, character and intelligent consciousness have been buried in the abyss of colorful displays and under flamboyant facades.

Faced with this onslaught of issues, there is an inclination to be overcome; to be a victim; to blame others, including God, for our misfortunes. People declare, “I’m embarrassed to be an Orthodox Jew,” “it’s the president’s fault,” “this group is the source of our troubles” or “if only this person wouldn’t be in my way.”

The excuses, justifications and explanations serve to deflect responsibility. Did Candace Lightner self-destruct or lash out when her 13-year-old daughter Cari was killed by a drunk driver? No. Instead, she started Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), an organization that offers education to stop drunk driving. MADD has an office in every state in the United States.

These musings may provide insight into this week’s portion. It’s true that we can’t grasp why the Jewish people have suffered throughout history and that it would be predicted in advance in this week’s portion. But one thing we do understand is that God’s actions have a constructive purpose: to contribute to our growth.

“This ain’t about giving up or giving in. We weren’t born to follow. Come on and get up off your knees. When life is a bitter pill to swallow, you gotta stand up for what you believe. Believe that the sun will shine tomorrow ... ” (Bon Jovi).

Tisha B'Av

Tisha B'Av has crept into my consciousness as a favorite day on the calendar. 

People are ensconced in all kinds of causes, movements, ideals, charities, organizations, and revolutions. 

To show solidarity, they put on bracelets, necklaces, jewelry, same color tee-shirts, and brand themselves with tattoos. 

We are a part of a two thousand year solidarity with Israel, the Temple, and the Almighty. 

It has proliferated into every fabric of our peoplehood in every corner of the planet. 

On this day every type of Jew at some point sits on the floor in a show of mourning for the destruction. 

It is so gratifying to be a part of that; to suffer for a cause, to fast and deny oneself basic pleasures with the goal of accomplishment. 

It's like climbing a mountain. It hurts. But you know the top awaits. That's a journey worth every ounce of its pain. 

I sit there on the floor, recite the special prayers, listen to the Book of Lamentations and can't help it but to smile. 

There is no way that such an effort from so many people for so many years will be for nought. I am proud to be a part of it.  

In the aftermath, the satisfaction of accomplishment is acute. The fulfillment of my part of God's ultimate plan for mankind is real. It's a trophy that I hang on a special wall in my mind's eye.  

Vayaira-Posting Secrets That Stay Forever

Relative to time, in the infancy of our millennial generation, Orwellian foreshadowing seems to be as acute as ever.  When ‘big brother’ surveillance began and how comprehensively it perforated the fabric of our society is somewhat shrouded in secrecy. One thing we are becoming keenly aware of is this; privacy has been reduced to an old relic that resides only on the pedestals of our imaginations. As a smart old man sitting on a proverbial corner on some provincial street might’ve once remarked, “there’s nowhere to run and there’s nowhere to hide.” At any moment, we may be recorded, videoed, or spied upon with a vast array of mediums. 

Should we resigned to the current state-of-affairs that seem to curtail our freedom or is there an empowering message to be gleaned from this situation? 

The Universe is always speaking to us as it says, “The Heavens tell the honor of Hashem (Psalms 19:2).” Assiduous hearkening to the Universe’s message with a little extrapolation will yield a valuable lesson.

“Know what is above you; an eye that sees, an ear that hears, and all your actions are transcribed in a book (Avos 2:1)." If human intelligence can spawn forth technologies with such sophisticated capacities, certainly the Almighty Creator has contrivances at His disposal and even more. 

“On Rosh Hashanah all those that walk the face of the earth pass in front of him one by one as it says, ‘He fashioned the heart of them all and understands all their actions’ (Rosh HaShannah16a)." “This is done with Hashem’s one simple glance (Ibid 18a)." Coupled with technological implements there is an interweaving of psychological motivations that are a part of Hashem’s analysis. Unlike humans, not only does He see the data but He also understands it. 

Hashem’s analysis runs so deep that any hypocritical or contradictory nuances will surface on our final accounting. The justifications of the brothers’ inconsistencies evaporated with Yosef’s rebuke, “I am Yosef. Is my father still alive (Genesis 45:2)?" The Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 93:10) understands that Hashem’s purview, as that of Yosef’s, must be saturated through every fabric of our actions. Therefore, it declares, “Woe is to us on the day of judgement. Woe is to us on the day of rebuke.”

Hashem is aware of every detail and nuance of our experience. This fact was established with the Plagues, as the Malbim(HaTorah Veha’Mitzva, Shemos 7:14) explains that the first nine plagues were divided into three sets. Each set was meant to prove a fact of reality. The first set proves that there exists a Deity. The second set proves that He watches and is aware of everything that occurs in the Universe. The third set proves that He has unbridled and unmatched capacity to effect anything. 

In each set the first two plagues proved one of the aforementioned facts. The third plague was meant to punish Pharaoh and the Egyptians for not acquiescing to Moshe and Aaron’s request. 

The first plague of the second set was Arov which is the mixture of wild animals that attacked the Egyptians. The miracle was two-fold. Firstly, these animals usually shy away from the populace. Secondly, when they attack, their violence is indiscriminate. Hashem sicced the animals on the Egyptians. However, they didn’t set foot into Goshen where the Jewish People lived. This proved that Hashem is specific in his protection of the Jewish People because He is aware of every situation (ibid 8:17-18).

The second plague in the second set was Dever, pestilence. A paranormal epidemic ensued where the Egyptian owned animals expired. This proved that Hashem was specific in his protection or lack thereof towards animals as well (ibid 9:4).

As privacy dissipates on the pyres of our civilization’s prying technological eyes, a message from Hashem is crystallizing in our psyches. Hashem is aware of all our deeds good and the opposite. Therefore, we will be responsible for them.

The fact that we are aware of this is empowering. It presumes that it's within our capacity to pay attention and make an accounting of myriad of our deeds.  It’s within the scope of our capacity to research, calculate, and organize what we say, do, and conduct during the span of our lives.

In a way, de-privatization in our society exposes us to more tools to be utilized for categorization of our deeds.