RABBI MOSHE BEN-CHAIM
Life
If not eternal, its worthless. Make yours eternal.
T
zidduk Hadin—recited after burial—includes this phrase:
a
Whether man lives a year or 1000 years, of what benefit is it to him? He is as one who never lived. Blessed be the True Judge, Who brings death and resurrects. This statement has 2 parts: an evaluation of man as worthless, and a promise of resurrection. Even if living 1000 years, man is worthless if he experiences no afterlife. There is no worth to his temporary existence. He is equal to one who never existed. That’s some statement. It’s difficult to grasp any comparison between one who lived, and one who did not. How does the “temporal” nature of existence eliminate all value and render it worthless? Why must one be eternal to have any value? Torah says the only real value is knowledge of God, i.e., appreciating His wisdom and moving towards greater love and awe of God. Even mitzvahs performed without understanding their purposes, are of no value. Donning tefillin, shaking lulav or other acts performed with no knowledge of why, offer man no knowledge of God. We are simply moving our bodies, which cannot benefit our souls. Only in the act of pondering God’s brilliance, is there any value in existence. Rashi teaches, “God made Earth only if man partakes of Torah and its wisdom. Otherwise, God would revert Earth back to chaos” (Avos 2:8). Thus, Earth is worthless if no man uses it to study God. In such a case, both man and (CONT. ON NEXT PAGE)
14
|
WWW.MESORA.ORG AUG. 6, 2021
