Never Isolate Part 1
Mishlei Chapter 16 Verse 4
“The Lord made everything for His praise-even the wicked man on the day of retribution.”
Questions
1)What does it mean that something is for God's praise?
2)Is the praise that the pasuk is referring to when a wicked man does evil or when he suffers retribution?
3)How is either one of the possibilities listed above, a praise to God?
Praise for Hashem
One of the foundations of Judaism is the appreciation and awe of God through the appreciation of the complex world that he created.
More specifically, this appreciation premises a view of the world as one complex and interconnected system that operates by certain laws. When we study a specific area, it is with a basic assumption that it will fit in with our understanding of the world as a whole. If it doesn't, then our understanding is lacking. An example might help clarify.
It would be ridiculous for a physicist to say that when we see a ball falling from a roof, we are seeing an isolated incident that shouldn't be fit in with physics or the laws of nature. Instead, the physicist will see how this incident is part of a particular pattern of events in physics, otherwise known as gravity. Recognizing the law of gravity is a praise to Hashem, because it is an acknowledgment of the system (the world) that God created.
Therefore, when it says that everything Hashem made is for His praise, it means that everything operates by certain laws, in respect to the system that it is contained in. To recognize this, is to see how a falling ball is a praise to Hashem.
Human Interaction
It is easy to sustain this view of the world when it comes to physics, but it can become very difficult in the area of human lives. When events happen, we view them as isolated incidents (for simplicity, I will call this view isolationism). If we get pulled over for speeding we immediately think of how unlucky we are, or how mean this cop is. However, if we were to look at this ticket as part of a pattern that started with years of speeding on this road, we will not feel so wronged. Instead, we will view it as an opportunity for teshuva, realigning our philosophy of life in line with reality.
When the Rasha experiences retribution
When we see evil people fail, we feel a sense of satisfaction. It is a happiness fueled by to the desire for revenge. This man wronged the world, now he gets payback. This is a natural response that is difficult to overcome. When we saw Saddam Hussein get captured we were all happy because we remembered all the terrible things that he had done. We viewed this as a victory where the good guys finally beat the bad guys.
Mishlei rejects this view. Viewing the evil person fail in this way, is the same as if the physicist viewed a falling ball as an isolated principle. “Finally, this ball gets what it deserved!” he would say.
Mishlei tells us that when we see a rasha experience retribution, we must view it within its proper context. We can spur teshuva through this event by analyzing what in the rasha caused his demise. We must investigate to see whether we ourselves possess those very same qualities. Then we must work on making decisions that are not affected by these “destructive character traits”. However, we cannot do this unless we get out of our predisposition to view things out of context. We must recognize the fact the praise of Hashem extends to the way we live our lives as well. Oftentimes you see the physicist ridicule the idea if isolationism in his area of study. But when he comes home after work, he makes decisions in his life letting that operate by the very same isolationist principles. He refuses to extend the praise of Hashem outside of his laboratory.
If we view everything as a praise to Hashem, then everything becomes an opportunity for Teshuva. We will learn to see the context of any event, to learn how to make decisions in order to live a happier life.
Post Addendum: This idea does not only apply to events and situations. It even applies to our understanding of pleasure and pain. In fact, in the next post, I will show how the very fantasy of any pleasure is rooted in the view that the isolationist espouses.
“The Lord made everything for His praise-even the wicked man on the day of retribution.”
Questions
1)What does it mean that something is for God's praise?
2)Is the praise that the pasuk is referring to when a wicked man does evil or when he suffers retribution?
3)How is either one of the possibilities listed above, a praise to God?
Praise for Hashem
One of the foundations of Judaism is the appreciation and awe of God through the appreciation of the complex world that he created.
More specifically, this appreciation premises a view of the world as one complex and interconnected system that operates by certain laws. When we study a specific area, it is with a basic assumption that it will fit in with our understanding of the world as a whole. If it doesn't, then our understanding is lacking. An example might help clarify.
It would be ridiculous for a physicist to say that when we see a ball falling from a roof, we are seeing an isolated incident that shouldn't be fit in with physics or the laws of nature. Instead, the physicist will see how this incident is part of a particular pattern of events in physics, otherwise known as gravity. Recognizing the law of gravity is a praise to Hashem, because it is an acknowledgment of the system (the world) that God created.
Therefore, when it says that everything Hashem made is for His praise, it means that everything operates by certain laws, in respect to the system that it is contained in. To recognize this, is to see how a falling ball is a praise to Hashem.
Human Interaction
It is easy to sustain this view of the world when it comes to physics, but it can become very difficult in the area of human lives. When events happen, we view them as isolated incidents (for simplicity, I will call this view isolationism). If we get pulled over for speeding we immediately think of how unlucky we are, or how mean this cop is. However, if we were to look at this ticket as part of a pattern that started with years of speeding on this road, we will not feel so wronged. Instead, we will view it as an opportunity for teshuva, realigning our philosophy of life in line with reality.
When the Rasha experiences retribution
When we see evil people fail, we feel a sense of satisfaction. It is a happiness fueled by to the desire for revenge. This man wronged the world, now he gets payback. This is a natural response that is difficult to overcome. When we saw Saddam Hussein get captured we were all happy because we remembered all the terrible things that he had done. We viewed this as a victory where the good guys finally beat the bad guys.
Mishlei rejects this view. Viewing the evil person fail in this way, is the same as if the physicist viewed a falling ball as an isolated principle. “Finally, this ball gets what it deserved!” he would say.
Mishlei tells us that when we see a rasha experience retribution, we must view it within its proper context. We can spur teshuva through this event by analyzing what in the rasha caused his demise. We must investigate to see whether we ourselves possess those very same qualities. Then we must work on making decisions that are not affected by these “destructive character traits”. However, we cannot do this unless we get out of our predisposition to view things out of context. We must recognize the fact the praise of Hashem extends to the way we live our lives as well. Oftentimes you see the physicist ridicule the idea if isolationism in his area of study. But when he comes home after work, he makes decisions in his life letting that operate by the very same isolationist principles. He refuses to extend the praise of Hashem outside of his laboratory.
If we view everything as a praise to Hashem, then everything becomes an opportunity for Teshuva. We will learn to see the context of any event, to learn how to make decisions in order to live a happier life.
Post Addendum: This idea does not only apply to events and situations. It even applies to our understanding of pleasure and pain. In fact, in the next post, I will show how the very fantasy of any pleasure is rooted in the view that the isolationist espouses.
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