Braysheet 2015/5776: Mysteries

Dvar Torah – Braysheet 5776/2015

Why do we like mysteries?

We like to observe someone like Sherlock Holmes, put together the facts, follow the trail, uncover the truth behind what is dark, unclear, even seemingly supernatural.

And we also, sometimes, observe the opposite, the clueless person, like Israeli writer Ephrai Kishon’s Shoter Azulay, Mr. Azulay the police officer, stumbling when we can put together the answer for ourselves.  Azulay is a criminal’s best friend, a police officer who seems to never see nor be able to catch any criminal on his beat.

In the first type of mystery, the wisdom and clarity of a Holmes or a Poirot, turns on a light inside of us, makes us more aware of ourselves, and our world, holds our attention until the truth comes out.

In the second type, we are reminded just how we feel the same way when we cannot find something, when we’re searching, when feel lost on the way to where we want to go.

The question I want to put to us today is which one describes God at this point in creation?

We read this Shabbat from the first parsha, the first Torah portion – a story that takes us all the way from the moment that God creates light until the moments Josh and Ethan read today – when by the end of the parsha God regrets having created human beings since God observes their inclinations are to do evil all day, and later commentaries read all day, ‘kol hayom’ to include nights as well. 

Human beings, the pinnacle of creation, God’s parnters in naming the animals, in tending the Earth, to whom God speaks freely become the source of God’s heavy heart and intention to wipe out this same planet, except, of course, for Noah and his family.

The Chizkuni (Chizkiyahu b. Manoach, Italy, 16^th century) warns us, “Don’t think and then say ‘Of course God knows what was going to happen’, how could God have created [human beings] to be sinners?”

In other words, Chizkuni warns us against asking why would God create a being who was prone to sin from the beginning?

God gives us freedom to choose – so is God here the wise Sherlock Holmes, or the present but not aware Policeman Azulay?

My argument is, God is both.

God is wise in creating a system with free choice, otherwise people are robots and not particularly colorful, or interesting, or interested in a real relationship.

God is a bit of the other kind of detective too, not always sure what people are up to, does not intervene to prevent disasters before they occur, finds out about events after the fact.

Where do we place ourselves?  Which type are we? 

We are also like both types of detectives. 

What is critical for us is to examine which areas in our lives do we put our full mind and heart’s attention to, like the great Holmes, and which ones do we allow to slide by without as much attention or focus?

Are we putting too much effort in one area, either over thinking or deconstructing it so much along the way?  Are we letting more important areas of our lives go by unattended until one day ‘boom’ we realize neither we nor our relationships are particularly healthy?

Let’s all, myself included, do a test this week.  Let’s look at one area in our lives that is consuming massive amounts of bandwith in our minds, hearts, and souls.  Let’s consider whether the amount of time and attention we’re giving to this one project, activity, or relationship is effective.  Maybe it’s time for a different approach to it, a new perspective?

And let’s look at one are that is not consuming our bandwith.  This piece is more difficult – since we’re not really thinking about it, we may well be overlooking it.  Professor Neil Gillman, professor of theology at JTS, explains how in a sport like basketball, for example, we can take statistics of shots attempted, shots made and missed, steals, fouls and the like.  We can’t though take concrete stastistics about something like ‘the passing game’.  We can talk about whether the team’s passing game has worked or could use some improvement, and we may agree or disagree.  The same is true with the lesser knowns in our lives – to identify them, and respond to them, we need to first picture in our minds the connectors – an example with Judaism – are we finding connections between the prayers we say, the mitzvot we do, and the types of causes we take up, support, and volunteer for?  A key question for us here is, ‘What are we taking for granted?’ Not an easy question, but a necessary and potentially life-transforming one that is critical for us to ask of ourselves as this new year unfolds.

Sherlock Holmes does not always win in the end.  He gets outwitted by the likes of Irene Adler and Dr. Moriarity.  Policeman Azulay also is not as dim as he seems to act, he can host a French diplomatic team and quote Bible with the ultra-religious.

Both though are committed to justice, and making sure that everyone knows just how committed they are not only to solving the mystery but also to making the best possible effort to realize their own potential.

Shabbat Shalom.