I Can See Clearly Now…1 - Parshat Ki Tissa

If only we could live on that level. We want to be able to see what's really happening, or what's going to happen. Someone I know, for years used to say, "if I could only see where I'll be in 5 years from now." (e.n. She is now wise enough to know NOT to say that.) Though there is a part of us that would just love to know where we are going and what awaits us.

Yet, even the greatest of prophets, Moshe, did not obtain that level of prophesy. In this week's parsha, Parshat Ki Tissa, God tells Moshe that "you will see only my back."2 Rabbi Hirsch, the great 19th century leader, explains that this enigmatic statement means that we can only see God's footprints. We can see where He has been and what He has done. But we are not able to see into the future to see His handiwork.

We would love to have that sense of control over our lives. As the song in the title says – "I can see all obstacles in my way." Having that knowledge would be extremely helpful. We could avoid tripping over things. We could be careful not to walk by that bakery with the great smelling croissants or the burger place with those incredible french fries. We could choose our friends more carefully and invest in profit-bearing ventures only. Wouldn’t all that be fantastic!!

But gol darn it, life just doesn’t work that way. To paraphrase a famous saying by the Dutch philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, we have to live life forwards yet we can only understand it backwards. Yes, there are times when we do experience such pure 100% unadulterated clarity and foresight  - but between us, how often does that happen?

To further strengthen the question, do we even have the right to promise as the song does that "it's gonna be a bright, bright, bright sunshiny day?" This is not to take away one bit of the musical quality of the song which I love. But the lyrics beg the question. After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, there was a famous Israeli song which included the lyrics, 'I promise you my little girl that this will be the last war.' I would love to make that promise to my kids and grandkids. Who wouldn’t? Is it fair to them to make them such a promise? Are we being fair to ourselves to take upon ourselves such a responsibility? I can only promise to love and care for them. This other stuff is beyond my control.

So, that being the case, since we cannot foretell the future, what does that require of us? What are we being asked to do? How do we respond to Life's questioning of us? This is not an easy question  to answer but if we address it, we open ourselves to a totally new level of existence.

Dr. Viktor Frankl wrote about this question and gives his suggestion. "How often one of our patients bewails his life, which he says has no meaning since his activities are without any higher value. This is the point at which we must reason with him, showing that it is a matter of indifference what a person’s occupation is, or at what job he works. The crucial thing is how he works, whether he in fact fills the place in which he happens to have landed."3 Each person has to play with the hand he has right now. Not what he will have tomorrow nor what he had yesterday. Right now, can you fill Your place?

It is up to us to be responsible to find the answer to that question. Only you can give yourself the answer to that question. A logotherapist may be able to help you find it – but only you can affirm the truth in it. During everyday situations, even during difficult times or maybe especially during difficult times you are being called upon to give meaning to that moment.

Click here for another logoParsha article on Ki Tissa (An Attitude Problem)

Notes

  1. Also the title of a hit song by Johnny Nash…yes it's ok to hum along while you're reading
  2. Shemot 33:23
  3. Frankl, Viktor E.. The Doctor and the Soul: From Psychotherapy to Logotherapy . Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. p. 42

Have A Great Shabbat!laughing

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