David Cardozo Academy

Machon Ohr Aaron and Betsy Spijer

Cardozo Academy Logo
  • Home
  • Thoughts to Ponder
    • All Thoughts to Ponder
    • Thoughts to Ponder by Category
    • Thoughts to Ponder by TTP number
  • About us
    • Contact the David Cardozo Academy
    • The Manifesto of the David Cardozo Academy
    • Faculty and Staff
    • Cardozian Newsletter
    • Donate to the David Cardozo Academy
  • Think Tank
    • DCA Think Tank
    • Think Tank Sessions
    • Think Tank Blog
  • Library
    • Guest Essays
    • Studies
    • Books
  • Videos
    • Documentary: Lonely but not Alone
  • מאמרים בעיברית
  • Donate
loading...

Faith, Death and Frontal Encounter

TTP: 616

November 1, 2018 by Nathan Lopes Cardozo 1 Comment

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

A Brief Insight while on the Road in Europe

In memory of the victims of the Pittsburgh shooting.

ויאמר לא תוכל לראת את פני כי לא יראני האדם וחי

And He said, “You will not be able to see My face, for No Human Being shall see Me and live.”

Shemot 33:20

Faith is deeper than knowledge. While scientific data is absorbed only in the brain, faith permeates all parts of the human personality. Nothing is untouched, all spiritual limbs quiver, and everything is transformed. It is thus more difficult to acquire faith than knowledge, and faith has a more radical effect on the human being.

Faith is difficult, especially in times of misery. Huge effort is required to maintain it, apply it and cherish it.

“To relate your Kindness in the morning and Your faith in the nights”[1] can be understood in the following way. If one invests in one’s faith by singing God’s praises during times of prosperity and good health, then, in the loneliness of difficult and sorrowful times, one may be able to continue believing in God’s faithfulness even when there is little evidence of such Divine allegiance.

An X-ray

Moshe requested of God, “Please show me Your glory.”[2] He was eager to understand God’s presence, as well as His way of dealing with the world and with every human being. God responded back, “You will see My back, but My face will not be seen.”[3]

Indeed, this metaphor has great meaning. In our world everything looks topsy-turvy, confusing and contrary to what reason dictates. The world stands with its back to reason. It’s not that Moshe simply “saw” God’s back and not His front; it’s that he saw the front from the perspective of the back. It was as if he was looking at an X ray whereby what is last is really first and what is in the front is really in the back.

Had he been able to see the front as the front and the back as the back, everything would have made sense. He would have realized that time is broken eternity, there where the real clock ticks to infinity. We are only able to see its flipside, like the letters on an ink stamp, which is a mirror image. Had Moshe indeed seen the final imprint he would have immediately departed from this world, since humans, being bound by the limitations of time, can never grasp this face-to-face encounter and survive.

Perhaps, to die is to be permitted to see the full story, in its infinity. For some, this takes a lifetime to realize; for others, it is altogether beyond their grasp. And then there are those individuals who, however young, seize it at a moment’s notice.


Notes:

[1] Tehillim 92:3.

[2] Shemot 33:18.

[3] Ibid. 33:23.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • More
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest

Filed Under: Jewish Thought and Philosophy

About Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo is the Founder and Dean of the David Cardozo Academy and the Bet Midrash of Avraham Avinu in Jerusalem. A sought-after lecturer on the international stage for both Jewish and non-Jewish audiences, Rabbi Cardozo is the author of 13 books and numerous articles in both English and Hebrew. He heads a Think Tank focused on finding new Halachic and philosophical approaches to dealing with the crisis of religion and identity amongst Jews and the Jewish State of Israel. Hailing from the Netherlands, Rabbi Cardozo is known for his original and often fearlessly controversial insights into Judaism. His ideas are widely debated on an international level on social media, blogs, books and other forums.

Every week I receive hundreds of emails, as well as a host of important observations on my essays, via our website, Facebook, newspaper blogs, and other media outlets. It is therefore completely impossible for me to respond – for which I apologize – but please be assured that I read every comment, which I deeply appreciate and from which I learn so much. Only in exceptional cases will I respond in a subsequent essay. My office staff will try to be more prompt in posting these remarks on our website.

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your comments with me, as well as with your fellow readers. I hope you will continue to do so.

Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Comments

  1. Vicki M. Stewart says

    November 5, 2018 at 1:42 am

    I believe that faith must be our sight in this world. We cannot fully comprehend the plan of the Holy One. Rabbi Soloveitchik pondered this problem of righteous suffering in Kol Dodi Kofek. He wrote, “In man’s limited view, the absolute good in creation is not apparent. The contrast is striking and undeniable. There is evil that is not susceptible to explanation and comprehension. Only by comprehending the world in its totality can man gain insight into the essence of suffering. However, as long as man’s perception is limited and fragmented, so that he sees only isolated portions of the cosmic drama and the might saga of history, he cannot delve into the recesses of evil and the mystery of suffering. To what might this situation be compared? To a person who views a beautiful tapestry, the work of a fine artisan, which contains, woven into it on its front a representation dazzling to the eye. To our great sorrow, we see this image (i.e., the world) from the obverse side. Can such a sight become a sublime esthetic experience? Thus, we are incapable of comprehending the panorama of reality without which one cannot uncover God’s master plan – the essence of the works of the Holy One.” Habbakuk 2:4 See the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright, but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to Thoughts to Ponder




עיברית
English

Our Mission

The David Cardozo Academy seeks to revitalize the Jewish tradition and restore the relevance of Judaism as a force of authentic, non-dogmatic Jewish religiosity in which Jews once more take pride in the divine Torah and its great moral and spiritual mission towards all of mankind.


The new Cardozo Academy website is a work in progress. Found a bug? Want to request a feature? Let us know!"

From the DCA Think Tank

Survey of 5777 Activities at the DCA Think Tank

September 5, 2017 5:42 pm

We're delighted to share with you a full-color bulletin with photos detailing what the David Cardozo Academy Think Tank has been up to this year - our regular activities plus an Open Think Tank for the public in March. There are also questions for you to ponder - it wouldn't be the DCA Think Tank without them!  Read more →

Think Tank Blogs

Learning to be finite

December 12, 2017 8:15 pm | By E.S.

Spiritual experiences may represent our yearning for the “infinite”, but this yearning can only find expression in seeking to improve ourselves to the best of our ability and seeking to relate with love to the people and the world around us, while at the same time coming to an acceptance of our finiteness and separateness, overcoming the grief and outrage we feel at not being everything. Yearning for the infinite is really a way of learning how to be finite. Read more →

Latest Guest Essay

An open letter to Rabbi Cardozo in response to his article on Rav Soloveitchik

March 15, 2017 12:09 pm | By Tanya White

People in need of your prayers

Add your loved one here to our list of the sick.

Latest Cardozian Newsletter

Cardozian Newsletter – Nissan 5779

April 17, 2019
The David Cardozo Academy
7 Cassuto Street
Jerusalem, Israel 9643307
[email protected]
Tel: +972 2-642 7272
Fax: +972-722-400-108

Find us on Facebook

Find us on Facebook
The Cardozo Academy is a registered non-profit organization in Israel and a 501C3 in the United States. Our activities are financed entirely from donations.
Donate

© 2019 · The David Cardozo Academy · Built by Kasva Press