Thoughts of the High Holidays
Around this time of year, I am always reminded of a few select experiences and what I learned from them. [This is very much a for-Jews-only post, please do not reblog or share if you are not Jewish. Thank you for your consideration!]
I am reminded of the two Talitim that I have: One bought for me as a Bar Mitzvah gift from my orthodox uncle, and one that I made in partnership with my local community. The gift Talit is much more beautiful, with purples and blues decorating it and a Kosher certificate. The Talit I made is plain, with the only added decoration being the prayer and the little decorated square around the Tzitziot.
Yet, there's one story that I always like to tell about the Talit I made.
When we were making them, someone that I was doing this with (they had their own Talit DW) suggested that we should be graded for how we did. Rabbi Pablo (an Argentinian rabbi with the kindest heart of anyone I've ever met) liked the idea and gave everyone the same final grade: 9.9/10.
When we asked him what was wrong, he responded in the most rabbinical way possible: with a lesson. He said that there was nothing wrong with it. But it was not perfect. Only G'D can make perfect things. And I, as the ultra-perfectionist that I (sadly) am, asked why? Why could we never make something perfect?
His answer? That we were made to continue creation. We were made to continue, not to finish.
This story helps me a lot in daily life. As previously mentioned, I'm too much of a perfectionist for my own good. This is a story I need to constantly remind myself of to be able to complete anything.
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This second story happened a little after the first one. I went to a little Bar Mitzvah class in the local Chabad (I went to both reform and orthodox Yeshivot).
Every Yom Rishon, we would have a Rabbi come in and discuss something with us. Sometimes it would be Rabbi Fitch (who would bring us some incredible baked goods) and we would discuss the weekly Parashat, Big Rabbi Mendi (who gave us small coins we could buy Sufganyot with) who liked to talk about antisemitism in modern Brazilian society, and Small Rabbi Mendi (we also called him "Mendinho" which is just Mendi + nho [suffix for small in portugese]).
On this day, we saw Mendinho sitting at the desk in front of the class. Now, he was easily the one that taught us the more "practical" information: How you pray correctly, how you put on your Tefilin correctly, Etc. But he had a presentation that I was extremely intrigued about:
"Can science and religion coexist?"
We had a lengthy presentation, but one of the main arguments was as such: In Bereshit, we are told that on the first day G'D created Light and darkness. Mendinho argued that on the first day, G'D created the laws of physics needed for photons to exist. On the second day, we are told that G'D separated the waters of the sky and of the land. Again, it was interpreted that G'D established the laws of physics in order for Water to exist, evaporate, and be able to diffract light so that the sky would appear blue. On the third day, we are told G'D gathered the waters, created land, as well as creating the first plants. This was interpreted as establishing the basics of gravity (He didn't 100% understand science but he was doing his best, don't be harsh) and the basics for life to be able to exist. And so on and so forth.
It was argued that we should read the Torah allegorically, and we should interpret them according to our understanding of science.
{This was, in essence, his answer to the fermi paradox. Why have we not found any other signs of life? Because G'D created everything specifically for us.}
Personally, as someone who loves the sciences and loves religion, this was one of the most important moments of my life. I was in constant doubt about which one is true and which one isn't. I think it is really important that they can both be true, and can coexist peacefully and harmonically.
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Now, why did I write this? First off, I wanted to share some of my experiences and lessons regarding some big questions that don't have exact answers. Furthermore, in the days before Rosh Hashana, Teshuva (that being, self-reflection) is something we all should do, and this is a bit of it for me.
Lastly and most importantly, I wanted to hear people's opinions on these! Debate and discussion are very important to self-reflection for everyone, so I want to provide a starting ground for a small debate.
Thank you all for reading and for allowing me to share some experiences!
Shana Tova U'Metukah