A Praising Being

Actually, man is a very praising being. He must have his idols

to look up to, follow and praise. Other circles idolize actors, singers, politicians, whatever.

The following two headings are taken from a longer piece that was written some time ago.

On Meaning

“Meaning” can only have meaning if it is true. Truth is only true if it is eternal. There’s a Hebrew expression (perhaps Biblical) “mayim kozevose” – lying (false) waters. It refers to streams that dry up in the summer. They are not constant, therefore, they are false.

There is a statement (not a prayer and not a praise) in the Shacharis davening (morning prayers) – incredibly powerful. It is “L’olam yehai odom…” It is said after the morning blessings and before Boruch She’omar. The first paragraph ends with “and that which man is greater than the animals is nothing (he is not greater) because everything is false.” It goes on to do a 180º turn – “However, we are Your nation, the children of Your covenant…” The covenant gives meaning – it is eternal – therefore, it is true.

On Being Caesar

What does it mean that man has no more meaning than an animal? When I was sixteen we studied Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” in high school. There are 2-3 lines there that impressed me to the extent that I have never forgotten them. Anthony’s eulogy for Caesar – “but yesterday the word of Caesar might have stood against the world. Now lies he here.” The strivings of mankind – fame, fortune, power, pleasure – Caesar had them all. The mightiest man of the mightiest empire. Whatever he wanted he had. But that was “yesterday.” That was the vertical Caesar. Today he is the horizontal Caesar. Today he has nothing – not even memories. Even if a person does much good in his lifetime, his beneficiaries will also become horizontal. “Someday the sun will turn into a red star and burn up the earth. Then as a white dwarf the world will freeze.” All is nothing. There is no meaning. Ultimately all waters are false. “However, we are Your nation, the children of Your covenant…” This is our only meaning. It is eternal.

The Rabeinu Yonah

See the Rabeinu Yonah,

“…after it has become clear to a person that Hashem created everything for His honor,

one is thereby required to direct his heart at all times to honor Hashem and to sanctify Him and to praise Him … constantly as it says,

‘I shall bless Hashem at all times, always shall His praise be in my mouth’ … and it says,

‘a refining pot is for silver and a crucible for gold and a man according to his praises.’

This means that a person is known according to whom he praises. If he praises good deeds, the wise and the righteous, know that he is a good man and the source of righteousness is within him. Even if he might have hidden sins … nevertheless he is from the people who honor Hashem. However, one who praises despicable actions or praises the wicked, he is himself wicked.”

Seconds for the Future

Hashem created us in order that we should merit Olam Habo’oh (the future world). I had once mentioned that, for a specific reason, I had calculated how many seconds there were in a day (86,400) and how many in a week (604,800), a year (roughly 31,450,000).

To follow this progression of “higher math” seventy years (according to the solar calendar) would give one roughly two billion, two hundred million seconds – 120 years roughly three billion, seven hundred and seventy-five million seconds.

Of Use

After one hundred and twenty years, one’s Olom Habo’oh is going to be comprised of how many of those seconds he put to use and, more important, what kind of use.

For Hashem’s Glory

In tandem with the question we started with, we have the following.

“All that Hashem created in His world He created solely for His glory as it says, ‘All that is called by My Name, it is for My glory that I have created it, formed it, and made it.’

And it says, ‘Hashem will reign for all eternity.’”

No Need for Honor

Question – the two above pesukim are brought together as one thought. What is the connection? However, more important, again, as before, the reason given seems to be for Hashem’s honor. However, Hashem doesn’t need honor?

Meaning and Truth

As was mentioned above, meaning is only possible if it is true. Truth is only true if it is eternal. After one hundred and twenty years a person will come to Olom Habo’oh with billions of seconds. How many of those seconds will remain with the person as his future? Only those that are true. When we praise Hashem there is truth. We recognize that truth which is why we praise. We don’t praise idols, whether the ancient kind or the modern kind. There is no future in them. They are not true.

Torah

This is the same reason why we endeavor to learn Torah every second we have. We want to imbue those seconds with truth and therefore life. Hashem doesn’t need our praises. But He wants us to praise, do mitzvos, learn Torah – the more we do this the more eternal life, the more seconds salvaged.

The Braysa in Avos

This is also the meaning of the Braysa in Avos. There is nothing in the world which has no meaning. Everything entails Hashem’s honor and can therefore be used to recognize and praise Hashem. The world is full of contradictions and questions which lead us to recognize Hashem’s greatness. For example, one can only see with eyes. Indeed in the lakes in Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, the fish have no eyes. There is nothing to see, since there is no light. So where there is no light there are no eyes. Yet in the abyss of the ocean seven miles down there is also no light. Yet the fish there have eyes. No light? No problem. They are bioluminescent. They produce their own light which is in itself incredible.

Birds, Salmon and Butterflies

Birds fly south for the winter and incredibly find their way back to their original places for the summer. Salmon live a number of years in the ocean and are nevertheless able to find the creek from which they were spawned in order to spawn themselves. The monarch butterfly also goes south for the winter and back north for the summer to their original place. However, here it is even more miraculous since it is not the same butterfly. The ones who flew south have died. It is their offspring who were hatched in the south who somehow find their parents’ original starting point.

Eternal Truth and Meaning

There is a limitless manifestation of complexities in Hashem’s creation. Hashem is again showing us Whom to praise. Because only that which is true has meaning and only that which is eternal is true.

The Confluence

This then is the confluence in Avos between the pesukim of Hashem having created everything for His honor and that He will reign forever. As before, everything has meaning and therefore can be used for the service of Hashem, since “Hashem will reign for all eternity.” It has meaning. It is true. It is eternal.