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17 Teves 5765 - December 29, 2004 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Opinion & Comment
Torah — A Quest for Personal Truth

by Yochonon David

Exactly as the clock struck nine, there was a short ring at the door. "How absolutely appropriate," I thought to myself, "for someone like him, the chief accountant of a major corporation." As I got up to open the door, I thought about how this man came into my life.

A friend of mine — a businessman — told me about this Jew (actually his name is Robert) who used every business contact with him to ask searching questions about Judaism. My friend was not always able to answer Robert's questions and so, with my consent, he sent Robert to me. Now, here he was — at exactly the time we had arranged.

As I opened the door wide, I found myself face to face with an intellectual-looking man of immaculate manicure and bearing. On his head was a yarmulke whose creases showed that it spent most of its time in his pocket. As I ushered him into an inner room, I noticed him furtively fingering one of the leaves of a large potted plant sitting next to the door.

After light refreshments and the exchange of pleasantries, and in order to get to know him better, I asked Robert to tell me about himself. He described his interest in Judaism and his feeling that it contained profound wisdom from which he had much to learn.

"Our people," he said, "had many very intelligent men. In the course of the thousands of years of our tradition, we have aggregated a tremendous amount of wisdom. It would be a shame to neglect it. I have a tremendous respect for religious people, because I know that they study and preserve this wonderful and important collection of wisdom."

Although I smiled in thanks at Robert's kind words toward religious Jews, in truth I was far from being taken with them. I once heard that the Zohar says that the Dor Hamabul loved Torah and wisdom, yet that did not stop them from being the Dor Hamabul. If Robert was interested in our Torah for wisdom's sake alone, then, after three hours of questions from him and answers from me, the man would get up to go home and thank me profusely for broadening his knowledge of Judaism. But he, himself would go out the same person he came in — albeit with somewhat more knowledge. I thought to myself, "Must I give up an evening of my life for the sole purpose of sating someone's intellectual curiosity?"

With this thought in mind I responded, "There is authentic wisdom to be found among the non-Jews, too. There were thinkers and philosophers of great renown among the various ancient civilizations, who disseminated learned teachings in the seven disciplines current in those times. In this respect the goyim, too, have much to be proud of.

At this, my interlocutor, Robert, appeared greatly surprised. He turned to me in amazement, "Are you saying that there is nothing truly unique about our wisdom? Dare I believe my ears — that you, of all people, would say such a thing?"

"No, our Chachomim are doubtlessly unique. However, their uniqueness lies primarily in their unrivaled quest for the truth."

At this point Robert broke in, "Pardon me, but are you implying that all the teachings bequeathed by the goyish thinkers are false, and that of our Chachomim alone are Truths? Nobody — but nobody — has a monopoly on Truth!

Rather than reply immediately, I took a sustained pause. This, thankfully, had a calming effect on the atmosphere. "Look," I went on gently, "the concept called Truth actually has many, widely diverging, meanings. If one postulates that it is now nighttime, his statement — however true — has no ramification at all pertaining to his personal self. It is nothing more than an external type of truth, as it does not at all penetrate to the heart of a person, nor does it obligate him in any respect.

"Any scientist, any person involved in the world of intellect, is well acquainted with this type of truth. Small wonder is it, then, that their work in their respective professions is entirely distinct from themselves as individuals and from their private psyche. Take, for example, a plumber discovering the source of a leak, a microbiologist in pursuit of a suitable vaccination for a given virus, or say, a metalurgist gauging the proper temperature for melting a specific metal. For all these problem solvers, the problems' final resolution surely is without ramification to their personal psyche. Please ponder this carefully, Robert.

"In direct contrast to all this, when I talk of our Chachomim's truth and of their engaging all their erudition in its quest, I refer to a truth which make deep roots in one's very heart and soul, a truth bearing directly on the purpose of life itself and on man's very existence; a truth which endows its beholder with a newfound meaning to his every action; a truth, in sum, that is heavy with commitment and responsibility.

"The revelation of this Truth effects a transcendent transformation in one's whole world outlook and, thus, engulfs him forever, in even the most minute respects.

"It is this Beacon of Light that epitomizes the core defining difference between our Chachomim and the Greek philosophers of old. A clear example of this can be seen in the radical contrast in mankind's state up until Terach the idol worshiper versus that of his son, Abraham, the patriarch of our eternal Jewish nation.

"Our Chachomim's gifts of compelling intellect and exalted wisdom, formidable though they were, were employed as merely a tool to the end goal of which was, from the first, that of reaching our great and wonderful Truth. It is our Chachomim's pursuit of this pure and ultimate truth which casts them in such sharp contrast to all the goyim — their great thinkers and legendary philosophers included."

"You talk of a truth which penetrates the very fiber of man's heart and soul," said Robert, in effect repeating my words. "But all this is incomprehensible to me. Excuse me, if you must, but your words ring of hyperbole."

Fixing him with a stern expression I asked him slowly, "Why were you, upon your arrival, furtively fingering that potted plant here?"

An embarrassed smile creased Robert's face. "Ah . . . that? I . . . only wanted to see whether it was a plastic plant," he stuttered. "You see, I despise them. I simply can not tolerate them. The state of the art has advanced to the point where one can hardly tell the imitation from the real thing. I feel a revulsion toward any house that displays them. When you really get down to it, they're an act of virtual trickery.

"Indeed, just several days ago I took my wife to the jewelry store for a tenth anniversary gift. The salesman suggested a stunning diamond-encrusted pendant, and for a most reasonable price at that. However, upon hearing that the diamond was an imitation, my wife wouldn't give it a second look. The salesman then tried explaining to her that the imitation was so close to the real thing that only a highly trained professional using refined instruments could distinguish them. However — to my woe — all his persuasions failed to budge her. `I hate falsehood,' she exclaimed. And, by the way, I too am of this general mentality and therefore respected her for her opinion. We're dealing here with a deeply-held sensibility."

"Excellent," I replied with a broad smile. "You've just made my whole point for me. I couldn't myself have put it better. While owning a work that is an imitation is, of course, not a crime, it is refreshing to find people such as yourself with a sense of right and wrong so acute as to include antipathy toward even such relatively trivial wrongs as those you've just described.

"Our Sages' entire life work was devoted to the task of uncovering the Truth of life to its fullest extent: that the universe has a Lord, G-d Almighty Who created all, and Who laid out for us with precision how we should conduct ourselves.

"Indeed, the greatest possible lie, the mother of all lies, is the denial of our Truth. What a tremendous revulsion ought to be aroused in a man such as yourself toward the frightful lie of denying a G-d Who provides us with all our needs! What a feeling of disgust ought you to have toward the ingratitude and false pretension of those who claim freedom of all obligation from a G-d Who granted us the most precious of all gifts — the gift of life itself?

"How great a feeling of respect should we then have towards those who devote their entire life to the quest for this ultimate truth and to its further edification.

"This itself has been the quintessential characteristic of our sages through all the generations. It is for this pursuit that they have given their life's blood. Far be it from them to have done so for the mere sake of acquiring knowledge. Only in order to get to the bottom of it all, to discover the all pervasive truth; the purpose of man's very existence, did they expend such superhuman effort.

"Accordingly, what could be more disgraceful than the behavior of he who delves into the Torah for intellectual stimulation alone — when from this very Torah flows the deepest of obligations both to our Creator and to our own inner conscience!"


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