The Last Class

 I have really been enjoying the Jewish Learning Institute (JLI)'s class on Kabbahah, or Jewish mysticism. First, Rabbi Moshe is a gifted teacher -- far more a scholar than his learned Dad Yossi, my good friend. And the material truly has my mind bending -- like last night's lesson, which was whether G-d essentially micromanages the universe, or just created it and let it be.

Turn out, at least the the Chasidic scholarship, to be the former. Most of us, those who think about a Higher Power, see it opposite, if we believe in a Higher Power creating stuff at all. We look at it as if G-d, or The Oversoul, or the Big Woman (Wifey's feminist answer to me when I use the term "Big Man," even though somehow that conjures up images of a circus performer) created the world, and then let it be.

Rabbi Moshe gave the analogy to a carpenter -- he creates a cabinet, and then (unless he's really creepy), leaves the cabinet to its uses -- the carpenter doesn't stand with the cabinet overseeing its every event.

The scholars point out the difference, though. The carpenter didn't really create anything -- he just put together wood, screws, paint, etc...--using skills to put together existing materials. On the other hand, The Big Man created all out of nothingness, and according to their intellectual history, believe that if G-d stops ruling over all for even the tiniest moment -- all of existence as we know it will cease.

The leaf that falls off the tree and turns 5 times before hitting the ground? It doesn't just happen -- it is G-d's plan.

Of course, very often we can't understand the logic or meaning behind what the Big Man does. The Rabbi said let's keep the discussion to the quotidian -- leaving out questions of tragedy. So my brother Norman promptly asked about kids getting cancer, and the Holocaust. I reprimanded him: "He said no using the C word, or H word!" So we had some levity along with the deep thoughts as well.

The other examples were wonderful, too, like ones where one's presence totally changes an outcome in someone's life, even though the "actor" has zero clue what he had done -- he was just there and then.

I thought back to the times of my suegros and my mother nearing death. Sunny in particular -- once she had fallen mostly into unconsciousness, I said to her (coincidentally Chasidic) doctor, Levin, how anyone could say there was any meaning in her life -- she was mostly gone, and starting to struggle for breath.

He answered that EVERY person has a purpose. Maybe a dying relative brings a family together, for example. Well, that surely didn't happen, but my Mom's final days DID trigger in me a deep assessment of the nature of my life and those in it with me.

When my father in law and mother in law were near the end, it brought out a beautiful form of love in Wifey, who would be the first to tell you she's not the nurturing kind. When each finally passed, she grieved organically -- deep, mournful sobs of grief. I saw a depth to her that I hadn't seen since the birth and childhoods of our Ds.

Anyway, I'm actually disappointed that last night was the last class for me. There's one more -- Barry and Norman will attend, but I'll be taking Wifey and some friends to see Stevie Nicks -- a concert rescheduled from September.

The next class begins in January -- and I am now hooked. I think the subject matter is how different scholars answered various issues, and the bases of their conclusions. I don't think it's as profound as the class going on now -- but it gives me an at least weekly workout of the mind -- discussions with the teacher and class members on a level I haven't had since I last taught Religion and Law with Steve Sapp -- and that was well over a decade past.

They say the mark of a good movie or TV show or live performance is that the viewer keeps thinking about it long past the actual viewing. I have been thinking about the JLI class a lot over the past 5 weeks -- I guess that tells me everything about its worth to me.

Turns out learning and discovery really can be a life-long pursuit? It needn't be just political bullshit -- hating Trump, defending Trump. That crap gets to use up less of my mental real estate. I have REAL matters to ponder.