Perfection – VI. A Bundle of Contradictions
Date Posted: March 20th, 2008
Each one of us is a bundle of contradictions. We prefer to
keep things simple, but it doesn’t work this way. When it comes
to human nature, there are no absolutes. Just because a person
is selfish doesn’t mean he never did selfless acts in his life.
A compassionate individual did, in the course of her lifetime,
show indifference on some occasions. I’ll provide you with two
personal examples.
I was still a child when I learned an important lesson. I
had a good friend by the name of Shemesh. I had invited him to
my home for lunch a few times, and he wanted to reciprocate. But
there was a problem. His father, Selim, was a very impatient
man; he also had quite a temper. Eventually, I could no longer
get out of it, and accepted an invitation for supper.
I was playing with Shemesh when his dad came and asked me if
I wanted to come and see him work. I should mention here that
Selim’s hobby was refurbishing old furniture. I would have
preferred to carry on playing with my friend, but I had to be
polite.
I observed Selim working on an old armoire. It was utterly
fascinating. He did his work so patiently and so carefully, you
would have thought he was handling a baby. When Shemesh’s mom
called us for supper, I left the workshop with regret. During
supper Selim was calm and a solicitous host to his young guest.
Was Selim really an impatient man? Did he had a temper? If
so, during my time with him I saw no sign of that. Shemesh
assured me that he wasn’t exaggerating. It’s just that when he
worked on his hobby, he was a changed man.
Even at my young age I learned that people were neither
completely white, nor completely black. In later years, the
lesson was reinforced by many similar incidents.
My father had a cousin named David. David never married
and, as far as I know, never held a job. He lived with his
parents and earned some money doing odd jobs for the synagogue.
When his parents passed away, he relied on the charity of his
siblings, assorted relatives, and the Jewish community. He later
immigrated to Israel where he relied on the charity of the state
and the religious community. With the help of friends, he built,
overnight, his own house; and through some obscure squatter law,
he owned this house free and clear! It wasn’t much of a house,
but David was a very frugal man and needed very little.
Before you label David as a loser, let me provide you with
more details. In a religious sense, David was a very learned
man. He had read the Talmud, the Kaballah, and the Zohar in the
original Hebrew. If required, he could read obscure texts in
Aramaic. He could argue the fine points of the Talmud with the
best of them. When it came to the Kaballah, he was recognized as
an authority.
One Saturday morning, he took me to the synagogue. After
the prayers, we sat with the rabbi and with other men to discuss
controversial Talmudic points. I was mesmerized by the ensuing
discussions. At the end of it all, David left everybody in the
dust!
David had a great influence on me. From him I learned that
the universe was a gigantic administration. That there were many
other worlds. That there was incredibly beautiful places and
great learning to be acquired. All that and much more awaited
the Tzadik (righteous person). Most people will have a share in
the world-to-come. His readings had convinced him that there was
no such thing as hell. You either carried on or died and be
annihilated for good. He was convinced that God looked very hard
for Mitzvots (good actions) so that you can avoid such a terrible
fate.
For years thereafter I hungered for additional knowledge. I
tried to read the Kaballah and the Zohar in English. However,
they are very difficult to follow. Random concepts are scattered
throughout these books. I gave up and hoped that one day I would
find an answer to my questions.
When the Urantia Book came into my life, thanks to David, I
was ready for it. He had planted a seed in me. By the time I
finished reading the Book, the seed had grown into a magnificent
tree. I passed on my knowledge to my children and my brother.
My children grew with that knowledge. Michael, while still in
his teens, read the book from cover to cover. Both of my
children will never have to face their own mortality!
What a beautiful legacy David has left to his second cousin
and later his children.
