So, a lot clerics they say that they know what G-d wants. How do they know?
Did G-d TELL them what he wants? Probably not, to me he actually speaks all the time, which is, honestly, pretty annoying. Every night, I get a huge download of do this do that. I mean, what about MY free will.
At the end of the day, the truth is, almost none of us really knows what G-d wants, even me, who he is constantly pushing around, is often mystified about his commands and will.
It comes down to a thing called Sophia, wisdom. The world is complex. Life is not an Ikea chair to be put together, it’s EXTREMELY complex. But we have anchors to hold on to; philosophy, the Bible, the Talmud. Tomes brought down since time immemorial to us, to help us.
Still, I mean, when you get into philosophy, you end up with this grizzled war veteran called Socrates, who has this annoying wife called Xanthippes. Poor Socrates, and HE claims, that he is far wiser than us, because he knows, that he knows NOTHING.
And that is where he is exactly right, we know NOTHING. We think we know SOMETHING. But the humility towards knowledge, is what calls forth wisdom, Sophia.
There is however one thing, we know G-d wants from us, that is to be good. Be good persons. The problem is, we seldom realize what is truly good.
Like the whole debate on migration. This poor young man in Belfast was beheaded by a migrant, I mean, that is not exactly compassion. At the other hand, we Jews have always known what it is to be refugees.
In other words WE KNOW NOTHING. But we have to look at the reality and try to figure out what is good.
The answer is, it changes, it may be one thing in one end, and another in the other end.
Plato claims, and here we have a very profound insight, that kind of blow your mind away when you start to reflect on it. Truth, beauty and good are the same.
Read that again, truth, beauty and the good are the same.
I other words, if you find people do horrible actions, probably it is not good.
Truth is the most difficult thing to wield, because it is so elusive. What we end up with is most often MANIPULATED truth. A version of truth, that serves someone’s purpose. Going against the grind is tough.
I just put up a book review on my new magazine by a beautiful rebel called Jeanette. She has been in and out of mental institutions, because she is such a rebel, and because she has been critical against the system, for treating people with mental disabilities like cattle.
She is right, but that truth is hard to convey.
But that is one of the REAL answers to why we need clerics, because we know that the world is complex and we know that people often need support. And if we reserve the privilege to judge too much to G-d, we are in his service. Because G-d knows, and we have to rest assured, that he will punish the wicked. Off cause we should be vigilant and awake, see where the lord of the flies seek to destroy what is good and beautiful and be ready to blow that silver horn.
But we should reserve the right to be 110% right to g-d himself, keeping an open mind.
G-d bless the will to be the good guys, and help where help is needed.
