The work of a rabbi leads one to different situations. From teaching Torah, which is indeed the meaning of rabbi, teacher, to resolving a legal dilemma (halakhic), even going so far as to bury the deceased... Within that broad spectrum of functions, there is talking to people and supporting them in times of difficulty of all kinds, both economic and spiritual.
This week, while talking to someone going through a difficult time, the person expressed a very specific need: "I don't need psychological or family support, because I am very well supported, but I need something spiritual.".
Beyond the discussion of this particular issue with that individual, there is a fundamental turning point here that we should all reach, and which can sometimes take a lifetime: the rational has nothing to do with the spiritual. This concept is expressed in the Torah and the Mitzvot.
Our sages say that the Torah preceded the world by two thousand years. But this doesn't mean in terms of time, since time is another creation, created along with the rest of the universe, so there are no "two thousand years" before the world. This refers to a spiritual level; that is, the Torah, in its essence, is "two thousand" levels above earthly understanding.
Regarding the Mitzvot, each one is the will of God, which transcends the reasoning behind that Mitzvah. There are precepts in which the Divine will is embodied in a rational concept, and therefore we understand it, such as not killing or respecting one's father and mother, while other precepts remain as they are in their essence, the incomprehensible will of God, such as not mixing wool and linen. kashrut.
It should be clarified that, from their source, both the Torah and the Mitzvot descend and are invested in rational matters so that we, rational human beings, can grasp them and deal with them, but one should never think that what one understood is the essence of the Torah or the Mitzvot.
The same applies to everyday life and its challenges: no one doubts the importance of what is rational and orderly, but there are matters that simply transcend the human and require a higher treatment, which we call "spiritual".
This same concept is expressed in the parashah This week's theme is Toldot (descendants). The central topic is Yitzchak and his adventures, so to speak. Yitzchak was the first Jew to have a Brit (circumcision) on the eighth day. Of course, an eight-day-old baby is not in a position to understand what is about to be done to him, much less to decide anything about it. This symbolizes that his bond with God, that covenant, transcends the rational.
The difference lies in the fact that the intellectual, given the necessary conditions, can change. One day one thinks one way, the next day one may think differently, because one has become convinced that the reasons for thinking differently are stronger than the reasons for thinking as before. But the “spiritual,” that which transcends the rational, that essential bond that every Jew has with God, does not change according to circumstance. It is eternal.
And that was Itzjak. He transcended what, in a rational world, seemed possible. And that is his legacy for all. JewishRegardless of the situation, we should always seek the spiritual dimension in what happens to us and look for the spiritual path to resolve our difficulties. Torah study and the observance of mitzvot are the way to reveal spirituality in a rational world.