“When I come before G!D, I will have to answer for many things. But what will I tell Him when He asks me, ‘Have you seen My Alps?'”-Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch
Toward the end of his life, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, the great 19th century leader of Orthodox German Jewry, set out for Switzerland by foot. His students asked him why he would risk such a journey at his age, Rabbi Hirsch answered them, “When I come before my Creator, I will have to answer for many things. But what will I tell Him when He asks me, ‘Have you seen My Alps?'”
According to tradition, one of the questions we will each be asked at the end of our lives when we stand before creation is, “Did you partake of life’s permitted pleasures?”
We often think of a spiritual path as one of denial. And to be sure, things like fasting, mastering our urges, developing discipline in our practice, can indeed lead us to spiritual clarity, and for some of us, save our lives from addiction, dissolution and damage.
But pleasure has a holy place too. After all, in Genesis’ creation myth, we are placed in the Garden to enjoy the fruits! (Even the Forbidden Fruit, perhaps. It may be that G!D knew the surest way to get a child to do something is to tell them not to!)
If we are created in the Divine Image, and we have senses of touch, taste, hearing, sight and smell, then isn’t using our senses a holy thing? Alice Walker writes that G!D gets angry if we don’t notice the color purple in a field. Strawberries, sunsets, fresh baked bread, song, wine, the touch of a lover’s hand, the smile of a child; the world is bursting with pleasures that await us. The difference between God and Good is just an “Oh!” of noticing, experiencing, partaking in permitted pleasure.
What life giving pleasure can you enjoy today?
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (June 20, 1808 – December 31, 1888) was a German rabbi best known as the intellectual founder of the Torah im Derech Eretz school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism. Occasionally termed neo-Orthodoxy, his philosophy, together with that of Azriel Hildesheimer, has had a considerable influence on the development of Orthodox Judaism.
Joe Laur is a father, husband, artist, builder, naturalist, consultant, and EcoKosher mashgiach. He lives with his wife Sara in western Massachusetts, where he serves as head groundskeeper and resident singer songwriter. Send him your favorite teaching quote for commentary. He can be reached at joe.laur@joelaur.com.
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