morality – holy scribbles

“He placed at the east end of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way to the tree of life.” – Genesis 3:24, JPS 1917 Tanach

Even though Adam and Chava lived in Gan Eden, a paradise on earth, when they partook of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, contrary to G-d’s commandment not to do so, sin entered the world. This brought about inevitable death, as a consequence of severing their connection to G-d. “Your iniquities have separated between you and your G-d” (Isaiah 59:2, JPS).

Angels with flaming swords were stationed to guard the Tree of Life. The intent was to prevent Adam and Chava from living forever with their newfound knowledge of good and evil. This is a profound passage, that must be reflected upon. The disobedience of Adam and Chava led to their expulsion from the garden of Eden.

Moreover, since they were no longer in accord with G-d’s will, their lives and those of their progeny would have been in a constant state of flux forever. The discord that now existed from an admixture of good and evil in the world, would have continued in perpetuity. Even so, today, the ramifications of disobedience persist. We are subject to the jetsam and flotsam of good and evil, both within the world and within ourselves. How can we recognize this amalgamation? Only by sorting out its component parts within us through discernment using G-d’s wisdom.

“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either – but right through every human heart – and through all human hearts” (Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, Gulag Archipelago). Thusly said, the Russian dissident touched upon a universal truth, that sheds light on the true human condition today.

The current social climate obscures this truth in favor of a blame game, casting aspersion on so-called oppressor groups, institutions, and historical narratives that don’t give credence to the narrative norm. The solution is to look within ourselves, in order to delineate bad from good, and change our own character, based upon the realizations that we our granted through an examination of conscience. “It is impossible to expel evil from the world in its entirety, but it is possible to constrict it within each person” (ibid.). May G-d guide us in this endeavor.

“And thou shalt make staves of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark, wherewith to bear the ark. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.” – Exodus 25:13-15, JPS 1917 Tanach

On the commandment, “they shall not be removed from it” (Exodus 25:15), R’ Hirsch comments that because the poles that were placed in rings on the sides of the Ark of the Covenant were to always remain there, to carry the Ark, symbolically, this represents that the Torah itself is not bound to any one place; rather, wherever one goes, the teachings are meant to accompany him or her. Thus, G-d’s words are meant to be our companions, so to speak, even as we look towards His presence to guide us.

I would proffer, that the same idea holds true, chronologically, that the veracity of Torah carries its own weight, and holds true across the ages. Thus G-d’s commandments should be no less compelling today, then they were on the day that they were given at Sinai. Yet, even so, many forces in society tug at the heartstrings of the average human being, attempting to lure one’s understanding away from the truth. We are challenged to remain steadfast, by not going along with the zeitgeist; rather, that we remain loyal to G-d, even though many people may view the commandments as passé, a relic of the past.

G-d’s words through Moses and the prophets, as well as all throughout all of kitvei kodesh (holy scripture) are a moral compass, especially in times of tumult and confusion. Without the express knowledge of the pure unadulterated truth, how can mankind even know left from right, up from down, or good from evil? In general, we would not even know what direction we are headed, unless we have the “divine blueprint of life” to guide us along the way. So, let us not stray from the path, nor err in our judgment, as we encounter various elements in society that are not in accord with the truth. For, truth is not relative; rather, truth is an essential constant, like a compass always pointing in one direction.