Wisdom: Armor or Filter
May 8th, 2011 by Rabbi Simcha Weinberg in Reflections & Observations, Spiritual Growth
Keeping The Gears Moving
I am in middle of reading a very strange book by Fernando Pessoa, a Portuguese writer, “The Book of Disquiet.” He seems to have a different definition of a wise person, a definition about which, I have mixed feelings: “The truly wise man is the one who can keep external events from changing him in any way. To do this, he covers himself with an armor of realities closer to him than the world’s facts and through which the facts, modified accordingly, reach him.”
There is a part of me that can apply Pessoa’s definition to someone wise in Torah, because he too, “Covers himself with an armor of realities closer to him than the world’s facts,” namely, the Torah. It is through the Torah that facts are modified accordingly, until they reach him. The wise man can learn from all people because he can filter whatever they have to share through the Torah he has studied. He can be open to learning from all people because he has a solid foundation and knows when to “Keep external events from changing him in any way.”
And yet, I am bothered by his description of “an armor,” “that can keep external events from changing him in any way.” The wisdom of Torah is Torat Chaim, it is pulsating with life. Torah is involved with every detail of this world.Torah guides us in how to deal with an ever changing environment. I am constantly frustrated with people who are so armored by their Torah that they remove Torah from life.
The Mishna was taught by Ben Zoma, who would also teach, “What does a good guest say? Be my Host remembered in a good way. How many different wines He set before me, how many different portions of food He set before me, how many kinds of fine bread, and He did it all for my sake.” Ben Zoma celebrated the countless gifts of life. He lived life. He did not hide in armor.
“The end of the matter, all having been heard; fear the Lord and keep His Mitzvot, for this is the whole of man.” Ben Zoma adds, the entire world was created only that this might be proclaimed.
Ben Zoma did not lack in fear of God. He appreciated every aspect of life, including, as he says in this Mishna, the wisdom we can gain from all people.
I don’t think he wore his fear of God as armor. He responded to all of creation. His only unchanging reality was his fear of God. It protected and guided him as he learned from every aspect of life.
No wonder the sages say, “Whoever sees Ben Zoma in a dream may confidently hope for wisdom.” He personified it.
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Perhaps the Torah gives us a hint to this matter when describing 2 auspicious inhabitants of the Garden of Eden.
B’Reishit 2;9 “v’Eitz HaKhayim b’toch HaGan, v’Eitz HaDa’at tov vara”‘and The Tree of Life within the Garden and The Tree of Knowing Good and Evil’.
Our Holy Torah-Eitz Khayim hee- a Tree of Life it is- is “b’toch HaGan” is in the garden – is in the world and is NOT disconnected.
When it becomes disconnected it may be likened to the Tree of knowing Good and Evil = an admixture,not having the vessels to differentiate Good FROM Evil, as it is not within the Garden but from the outside.
The truly wise person has Torah eyes that can penetrate externalities and see people’s essence;that one can learn something from every person. This is a very high level, one that may escape the most of society.
I heard from R’Mottel Twerski, the Hornesteipel Rebbe currently in Brooklyn, 5 years ago in Tzfat on LaG baOmer shabbat the following:
Ben Zoma was one of the 4 sages who entered into the Pardes, and it was attributed that he ” heitzitz v’nifga”-colloquially speaking,went crazy. R’Mottel explained it differently = Ben Zoma emerged from the Pardes with utter clarity==> when he was walking down the street he could see each person’s true essence and so would run up to people and praise each one – to the schlepper in rags,who was content with what G-d gave him, he exclaimed “You are truly the richest person in town”; to the town ’simpleton’ who learned something from everyone, he bowed and said “How wise you are!” So, people started saying “Ben Zoma’s lost his marbles ever since he emerged from the Pardes.”
R’Mottel concluded saying that Ben Zoma’s immortal teachings in Pirkei Avot, that are capturing his essential teachings till Moshiakh is coming, to guide us on how to live our lives= we should develop Torah eyes to see beyond the shells of this world and wonder at G-d’s miraculous ways of running the world.
Wisdom is not the armor we put on to keep the world out; rather it is the prism we use to let the world in or that we use to unleash our selves onto the world.
Reb Mottel’s Torah in your comment is magnificent. Thank you.