What Is LifeShavu274 Leibowitz zl 1

TORAH-FAX 5774 SHAVUOT

SHAVU274
WHAT IS LIFE ALL ABOUT?
BY RABBI HERSCHEL LEIBOWITZ zl
A renowne !oet on"e e#"lai$e% &Life is real' Life is earnest an the (rave is not
its (oal)* +ut he i not state what the (oal of life reall, is% what trul, is the nature
of hu$an estin,-
.ob !leae with /0% 1What is $, stren(th that I shall ho!e% an what is $ine en
that I shall !rolon( $, life-1 In other wors he was as2in(% what is life all about-
3owar whi"h en are we ai$in(- What is the (oal% the ob4e"tive of life-
5ro$ 6""lesiastes to Sartre% fro$ the an"ient rabbis to the $oern e#istentialists%
thin2in( $en have been !reo""u!ie with the nature% !ur!ose an estin, of life)
In one for$ulation or another% the, all as2e for the sa$e thin(% that the !sal$ist
"rie out for% 17 L0r% let $e 2now $, en)1
We are livin( at a ti$e when life was never $ore in"o$!rehensible8 e#isten"e was
never $ore un"ertain% hu$an effort an strivin( never a!!eare so !ur!oseless)
Wars with "onfla(rations in so $an, !arts of the worl) 3he whole worl has
be"o$e a hu(e arsenal of wea!ons of estru"tion) 9an2in is ho!elessl, ivie
b, an i$!enetrable war on terroris$ with t,rann, on one sie of it% an fear on the
other sie)
:es% we have reason to !oner the !roble$ of our estin,) 17 L0r let $e 2now
$, en)1 7r as our !arents an (ran!arents use to sa,% 1/0tt% vos vet zein $it
uns-1
What Is LifeShavu274 Leibowitz zl 2
3here are sur!risin(l, $an, !eo!le who are si$!l, not "on"erne with this
!roble$ at all) 3heir view of the universe an their evaluation of the $eanin( of
life oesn;t re<uire a solution to the !roble$ of hu$an estin,) Life to the$ is 4ust
a series of a""ients) Hu$an "onu"t is 4ust the result of stra, $oos% lu"2,
brea2s% arin( (a$bles) 9an is a riven leaf tosse about b, the frivolous wins
of "han"e% an wafte hither an ,on b, the "a!ri"ious "urrents of "ir"u$stan"e)
He enters u!on the sta(e of e#isten"e without a worthwhile s"ri!t) He !erfor$s
without the benefit of a ire"tor an he $a2es his e#it without the thrill of
a!!lause)
What "an $an=s estin, be a""orin( to su"h a view of life- What "an it be when
there is no ivine law% but $erel, a statisti"al law of !robabilit,- What "an it be
when $an is but a $ere or(anis$% an love is but a flushin( of the (lans- What
"an it be if birth is onl, a biolo(i" a""ient% life a $ere lin(erin( an eath a
issolution into nothin(ness-
What "an it be when a $other;s tear is but a "he$i"al "o$!oun% an a father;s
(rief is loo2e at as 4ust a !h,si"al (ri$a"e- What "an $an;s estin, be in su"h a
universe-
Let the re!resentative of this !oint of view s!ea2 for hi$self an his fellow
thin2ers) 19an is forlorn be"ause neither within hi$ nor without% oes he fin
an,thin( to "lin( to)1 3hese are the wors of .ean0>aul Sartre) Well% 9r) Sartre% if
there is nothin( to "lin( to% then $an "annot be !ro!elle forwar% nor "an he
"li$b u!war) An sin"e he "annot stan still% then his estin, is to ro!
ownwar% ownwar into the ab,ss of nothin(ness)
3he $oern so"iolo(ist sa,s% an I <uote% 1?either as (rou!s nor as iniviuals o
we have a "hoi"e of roles or fates)1
What Is LifeShavu274 Leibowitz zl @
A fa$ous anthro!olo(ist sa,s% 1What a $an thin2s% feels an oes is eter$ine
b, his "ulture) He is oo$e to be what "ulture e"rees% what environ$ent
i"tates% what hereit, eter$ines)1 9an% a""orin( to these views% is absolutel,
offere no "hoi"e) He is what his an"estr, $ae hi$) He behaves as his
environ$ent "onitions hi$) He is nothin( $ore than the vi"ti$ of his hun(ers
an his a!!etites) He is never the $aster of his estin,% nor the "a!tain of his soul)
If $an is a $ere !u!!et in the hans of fate% if he is onl, a u$$, boun"in(
hel!lessl, on the 2nee of a ventrilo<uist% ivine or hu$an% if he is a $e"hani"al
tool in the $ani!ulatin( fin(ers of estin,% if he is onl, that% then he has no
estin,)
What is .uais$=s answer to the <uestion !ose b, the !sal$ist in his !ra,er% 17
L0r let $e 2now $, en)1 5irst% an fore$ost .uais$ e"lares that $an is a free
a(ent) He is enowe b, /0 with a $ost !re"ious (ift% the (ift of freeo$ of
"hoi"e) He has a ri(ht to "hoose his "ourse in life without ire"tion fro$ above nor
interferen"e fro$ below) ?either /0 nor the evil is $aster over $an;s "hoi"e)
9oses% ere he e!arte this worl% !ro"lai$e% 1I "all heaven an earth to testif,
that I have set before ,ou this a, life an eath% blessin( an "urses8 o thou%
therefore% "hoose life)1 3hese wors bro2e $an;s "hains an (ave hi$ freeo$ of
"hoi"e of thou(ht an of a"tion) 3he, "onferre u!on hi$ hu$an i(nit, an full
soverei(nt, his !ersonal an so"ial "onu"t) &9an, thin(s are !re0oraine%1 sa,
the rabbis% but not the e"ision to be ri(hteous or wi"2e) 9an;s "onu"t% to be
sure% is the "on"ern of /0% but it is the business of $an)
3he .ewish !eo!le have live throu(hout the (enerations b, this o"trine) What
woul have been our fate ha we allowe our environ$ents to rule us- 7ur ver,
What Is LifeShavu274 Leibowitz zl 4
survival is the result of our eter$ination to live b, our stanars% a""orin( to our
traitions% in 2ee!in( with our ieals% an b, the li(ht of our values)
Where woul we be toa, if we ha !er$itte the "ultures all about us to en(ulf
us% the (hettos to stran(le us% Ahristianit, an Isla$ to "onvert us% the enless
in<uisitions an !o(ro$s to s"are us an the (as "ha$bers to suffo"ate us) We
resiste !a(anis$) We battle Hellenis$) We loo2e eath in the fa"e a thousan
ti$es an we 2e!t on !rea"hin( freeo$ an 4usti"e an !ea"e)
We i all this be"ause we woul not surrener to iolatr,% to brutalit,% to slaver,
an to sava(er,) We i not su""u$b to the environ$ent) We $et it hea on% an
triu$!he over it) 6ven when a whole "ontinent of 6uro!e was turne into one bi(
inferno of e#ter$ination% even then% we were not "rushe)
At the oorwa,s of the "re$atoria% we lo"2e hans an "hante a ir(e of eath
with overtones of ho!e an faith) 1Ani $a;a$in1% 1I believe1 we "hante) 1I
believe in the "o$in( of $essiah1 an the $essiah "a$e into view in the for$ of a
.ewish State an a liberate an triu$!hant !eo!le)
We were eter$ine to live an /0 "onfir$e an blesse our eter$ination)
3his is the sa(a of our !eo!le) 3his is the o,sse, of our faith) 3his faith whi"h
alone% a$on( all faiths% e#alts the iniviualit, of the hu$an bein( an entrusts to
hi$ his own fate an his own estin,) An to this% let us sa,B A$en