I am very excited for the opportunity to share words of Torah with you. Each week, in this spot, I look to share an idea I've found that speaks to me and that I think will resonate with you as well. This week, I share an excerpt from an article by Rabbi Yosef Farhi entitled 'An Awesome Thought', about how to look at and appreciate those around us.
"Rabbi Akiva would say, Beloved is Man, for he is created in the Image of God (Avot Ch. 3). What does this mean? God is infinite, immortal, immeasurable. The First and the Last. Was, Is and Will Be. He is in the Past, Present and Future, simultaneously. He is not limited by time or nature. There is nothing about God that we can grasp, except his traits and His infiniteness. So what image are we referring to when we say that man was created in the image of God?
[...] To notice aspects of Godliness in human beings, one has to read between the lines. Humans are God-like, for they have a soul that is eternal. After death, the soul lives on. Humans are God-like in the sense that they have Free Will, the ability to overcome their nature and choose good from bad. This power of choice is Godly because it makes us an independent force like God.
[...] Humans have this inborn trait of resourcefulness. If the person really wants something, he can figure out how to get it. God gave us the power to control and overcome our impulses, our habits. He gave us the God-like power to forgive. [...] God gave humans the distinctive capability to communicate. To transport an idea between the two parties of the discussion. The human species can make plans and execute them. Humans can be creative. God created the world through speech, and He gave us the power to create and destroy through speech. Relationships. Civilizations. To bless and curse. [...]
In this week's parasha, we are forbidden to call another person derogatory names, or to act with any other form of belittlement. "You shall not wrong one another" (Lev 25:17). The sentence continues to say, "And you shall fear your God". What is the connection? When you call your friend unintelligent, weird, boring, you are not "fearing" the Godliness in that person. His ability to create new habits, his ability to change. The Baal Shem Tov would say, if you want to talk to God, you will find Him standing on your enemy's shoulder. Go ahead and respect your enemy's Godly ability to forgive, and his God-like ability to be aware of what he has done wrong. Respect his ability to choose a new way, and change.
[During this period of Sefirat HaOmer, we remember that] Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 students died, for they did not respect each other. We cannot fathom their greatness, but we are told that it was their lack of respect for one another on their level that brought about their deaths. So, Rabbi Akiva's mantra in Ethics of the Fathers, his message to us all is never to forget, even for a minute of your life, that Man is God-like. How awesome.
Have a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Davies
Rabbi@SOICherryHill.org
