Physical or Spiritual Beings? – Parshat Bo

or The Jewish Black Box

It is often fascinating how we view ourselves. On the one hand we see ourselves as physical – how can we not? We have a physical body with physical wants and needs similar to those of flora and fauna. On the other hand, we see humans who in certain situations can respond on such a high spiritual level that it is obvious to the average onlooker that this level of existence is vailable to us all.

So I find it similarly fascinating that some of the mitzvot are physical in nature though their purpose is purely spiritual. The mitzvah of tefillin, first mentioned in Parshat Bo, is a prime example.1 Its purpose, says the Sefer HaChinuch, is to help us remember our connection to God and the mitzvot, yet we need a physical reminder of it. For the mitzvah of prayer we need no reminder. To fulfill the mitzvah of Keriat Shema, we need no physical sign. Yet, as physical beings, he adds, we have certain needs which distract us from being in touch with our higher, spiritual dimension. To remember to fulfill the commandments in general and to think of God regularly we need reminders - physical reminders.2 Tefillin act as one of those reminders.

The need to work, provide sustenance, raise a family, pay rent/mortgage are all real. Yet if that is all we focus on, our lives would indeed feel very empty. In order to prevent this kind of existential vacuum we need to search for that which is meaningful to us. This will help raise all of our physical needs to a higher level. We will understand that our physical needs in fact serve our spiritual needs and that we need to "indulge" in self-care of our physical needs as well in order to be able to pursue meaning.

It is often quite refreshing to listen to stories of great rabbis, who, when asked some question of a strictly legal, halachic nature, are able to see the human side and render their decisions accordingly.

A balance is required between the two. We cannot neglect the one for the benefit of the other, though there are times where one or the other demands our immediate attention – to the exclusion of the other (i.e. heart illness3). When we are able to listen to both of these dimensions, we learn to create a balance which will serve us to reach an even higher level of existence.

 

Notes

  1. Shemot 13:9,16
  2. Sefer HaChinuch - Mitzvah 421
  3. As a footnote, literally, to this blog, while I was writing I was called by my mother's aide because there was a power outage in her home. The temperature was in the single digits C0 and because her heater runs on electricity, I needed to put the writing on hold until the immediate, physical issue was addressed.

 

Have A Great Shabbat!laughing

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