A Perfectly Imperfect World

I can’t count how many times I’ve wanted things to go right. And how many times I felt the frustration, anger and disappointment when things didn’t go exactly to plan. It has ranged from embarrassing moments to medical surprises to getting cut off by another driver. Why can’t the world just be perfect?!?!?

In this week’s parsha, we read of the actual building of the Mishkan. When the nation finished building all the parts of the Mishkan, Moshe blesses them1 saying: “May it be the will (of God) that His presence will dwell in the works of your hands.”2 Rabbi Poleyeff points out how the God agrees to Moshe’s blessing – that even if He created the world, He is happy when we do things to improve on His creation.3

The world is made imperfect. God wants us to be partners in His creation. In every positive action we do, Rabbi Poleyeff adds, we help complete God’s world. God made the world imperfect for us to work towards making the world a better place.

We are partners in the creation. When we help a poor person, heal another human, lend a hand (or an ear) to a friend, we are taking part in building the world. Dr. Viktor Frankl speaks of humans as co-creators. His student, Dr. Teria Shantall elaborates upon this. Whe writes  that humans “a man with a mission. He will have to sort out his life; find what path he is meant to follow…He is commissioned to become what he has been created to be : in the very image of the Divine. It is a potential he has, to make manifest in all that he is and does and contributes to the world...” and to finish that thought she adds: “He is a work in progress!”4

Even after all his wonderful works are completed, he is still a work in progress – a human with perfect imperfections. John Legend wrote a beautiful love song  ‘All of Me’ where he sings of loving all of his love’s “perfect imperfections”.5

We are not a perfect Creator but can fulfill our role as imperfect co-creators.

Image by 진혁 최 from Pixabay

Footnotes

  1. Shemot 39:43
  2. Sifri Shemot paragraph 143
  3. Rabbi Moshe Poleyeff - https://www.yutorah.org/lectures/1130768
  4. Shantall, Teria. The Lıfe-changıng Impact of Vıktor Frankl's Logotherapy (p. 271). Springer International Publishing. Kindle Edition.
  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngq5Aw0Q6rQ

Have A Great Shabbat!laughing

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