Yesterday
was Yom Kippur.
If you're unfamiliar with the holiday, it's the most important
annual observance on the Jewish calendar. It's the Day of Judgment;
the day of reckoning for us all; the day on which we are all judged
regarding our behavior during the year that has just passed and our
fate for the following year. Will we live or die?
On
that day we fast, having neither food nor drink for about twenty-five
hours. We focus on our shortcomings and our regret for them. We
petition for forgiveness; we vow to try to eliminate our sinful
behavior in the future.
Does
it work? I don't know. It would be presumptuous of me to think that
I have survived because I have led a virtuous life or that G-d has
forgiven all my sins, but the reality is that I am still alive.i
And it would be disrespectful of me to suggest that the lives of
those who perished last year were less valuable than mine.
I
don't know. But that's just fine. According to Avot,ii
one of the tractates of the Talmud,
“Regarding that which he [the wise man] has not learned, he says 'I
have not learned this.'” And in Berachotiii
it is written, “... a Master said: let thy tongue acquire the habit
of saying 'I know not,' lest you be led to falsehoods.” There are
many variations on this theme in the various cultures, but all point
out that admitting ignorance is the beginning of wisdom.
There
is a genre, which is usually concluded with a “one-liner,” that
centers on a guru at the top of a mountain. He is usually asked
about the meaning of life, or its secret. While his response is
unlikely to shed any real light on the question, that is not
important. More to the point, the guru does not know – though he
will not say so.iv
What is significant, however, is that the question seems to matter
to so many people. And it is one to which there is no certain
answer. There are numerous uncertain ones – philosophers, amateur
and professional – claim to know what it is, but they are fooling
themselves.
It
is a commonplace of those who are observant of one religion or
another to confess that they are clueless. They will usually frame
their views with an acknowledgment of the existence of a Creator
followed by an admission that they do not, and cannot, know His Mindv
on the subject or why He did what He did. They don't know, and they
acknowledge it. And they concede similar ignorance about a host of
other issues – physical and metaphysical – that deal with
existence and with the world around us.
There
are many, however, who discount any value or validity for religion.
To them, neither fate nor faith has any meaning. Scientific proof is
the only thing that matters. Lacking it, any view represents
superstition. They know what is verifiable, and are certain that, in
the end, Man,vi
will understand everything. They are not willing to say “I do not
know,” unless it is followed by the word “yet.” They adamantly
favor a “big bang” over a “creation,” although it is
difficult to be sure what the difference is. In both cases
“something” derived from “nothing” which, is a scientific
contradiction, but so be it. Their beliefvii
makes them happy.
As
for me, I'm comfortable with the idea that I don't know everything,
as well as with the fact that I cannot do so and will never do so. I
will be judged next Yom
Kippur as I was yesterday.
It is my responsibility to follow the rules of my religion – and
it is a responsibility that I glory in taking.
Science
will take care of itself.
Next
episode: “A Perfect World” – Don't you just wish?
I Or,
at least, I hope I'll still be among the living when this is
published. Since I'm writing this about a month in advance, I can't
be sure.
iii 4a.
iv Which
raises questions about his wisdom – the mountaintop
notwithstanding.
v Both
words are anthropomorphisms. No sexism is intended. Not even in
the word “anthropomorphism.”
vi No
sexism is intended here either. Use whatever pronoun you like.
vii Although
they'll deny that belief has anything to do with it.
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