Teshuva, Humanity and the Search for Absolute Truth

1. CALEV BEN DOR Teshuva, Humanity and the Search for Absolute Truth God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground." And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them; and said to them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creep upon the earth.' וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ; וְיִרְדּוּ בִדְגַת הַיָּם וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבְכָל-הָאָרֶץ, וּבְכָל-הָרֶמֶשׂ, הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל-הָאָרֶץ.וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ, בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אֹתוֹ: זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה, בָּרָא אֹתָם. וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם, אֱלֹהִים, וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ, וְכִבְשֻׁהָ; וּרְדוּ בִּדְגַת הַיָּם, וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבְכָל-חַיָּה, הָרֹמֶשֶׂת עַל-הָאָרֶץ. :בראשית א/כ"ו "Rabbi Simon said, "At the moment the Holy One chose to create the first Adam the ministering angels broke up into factions. Some of them said, "Create him;" while others said, "Don't do it." Thus it is written: "Loving-kindness and truth will meet, righteousness and peace will kiss." חסד-ואמתנפגשו;    צדק ושלום נשקו. (Psalms 85:11) Loving-kindness said: Create him, for he will do acts of loving-kindness. Truth said: Don't create him, for he is drenched in lies. Righteousness said: Create him, for he will do much Tzedaka. Peace said: Don't create him, for he is essentially quarrelsome. What did the Holy One do? He took Truth and cast it toward the earth. Thus it is written, "And truth will be cast to the earth." (Daniel 8:12) The ministering angels said: Sovereign of the Universe, Why do You shame the leader of Your court? Let truth rise from the earth. Thus it is written, "Truth will arise from the earth. אמת, מארץ תצמח " (Psalms 85:12) The elder R Huna of Sepphoris said; While Ministering angels were arguing with one another, Hashem created Adam and then said “why are you arguing? Man is already made” (Midrash Bereshit Rabbah) אמר רבי סימון: בשעה שבא הקב"ה לבראת את אדם הראשון, נעשו מלאכי השרת כיתים כיתים, וחבורות חבורות, מהם אומרים: אל יברא, ומהם אומרים: יברא, הדא הוא דכתיב תהלים פה: חסד ואמת נפגשו צדק ושלום נשקו.חסד אומר:יברא, שהוא גומל חסדים. ואמת אומר:אל יברא, שכולו שקרים. צדק אומר:יברא, שהוא עושה צדקות. שלום אומר:אל יברא, דכוליה קטטה. מה עשה הקדוש ברוך הואנטל אמת והשליכו לארץ, הדא הוא דכתיב דניאל ח:ותשלך אמת ארצה. אמרו מלאכי השרת לפני הקב"ה: רבון העולמיםמה אתה מבזה תכסיס אלטיכסייה שלךתעלה אמת מן הארץ, הדא הוא דכתיב תהלים פה: אמת מארץ תצמח. ר' הונא רבה של צפורין אמר: עד שמלאכי השרת מדיינין אלו עם אלו, ומתעסקין אלו עם אלו, בראו הקדוש ברוך הוא. אמר להן: מה אתם מדיינין, כבר נעשה אדם:

2. The Attractiveness and Danger of Absolute Truth י וַיַּרְא הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת-מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם, כִּי-שָׁבוּ מִדַּרְכָּם הָרָעָה; וַיִּנָּחֶם הָאֱלֹהִים, עַל-הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר-דִּבֶּר לַעֲשׂוֹת-לָהֶם--וְלֹא עָשָׂה.א וַיֵּרַע אֶל-יוֹנָה, רָעָה גְדוֹלָה; וַיִּחַר, לוֹ. ב וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֶל-יְהוָה וַיֹּאמַר, אָנָּה יְהוָה הֲלוֹא-זֶה דְבָרִי עַד-הֱיוֹתִי עַל-אַדְמָתִי--עַל-כֵּן קִדַּמְתִּי, לִבְרֹחַ תַּרְשִׁישָׁה: כִּי יָדַעְתִּי, כִּי אַתָּה אֵל-חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם, אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב-חֶסֶד, וְנִחָם עַל-הָרָעָה. ג וְעַתָּה יְהוָה, קַח-נָא אֶת-נַפְשִׁי מִמֶּנִּי: כִּי טוֹב מוֹתִי, מֵחַיָּי. 10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, which He said He would do to them. 1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said: 'I pray Thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in mine own country? Therefore I fled to Tarshish; for I knew that Thou art a gracious God, and compassionate, long-suffering, and abundant in mercy, and You forgive evil. 3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech Thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.' Few things have done more harm than the belief on the part of individuals or groups (or tribes or states or nations or churches) that he or she or they are in sole possession of the truth: especially about how to live, what to be and do — and that those who differ from them are not merely mistaken, but wicked or mad: and need restraining or suppressing. It is a terrible and dangerous arrogance to believe that you alone are right: have a magical eye which sees the truth: and that others cannot be right if they disagree. The belief that there is one and only one true answer to the central questions which have agonized mankind and that one has it oneself—or one’s leader has it—was responsible for the oceans of blood: but no Kingdom of love sprang from it. (Isaiah Berlin – Notes on Prejudice)