Embracing mystery.
Donald Rumsfeld gave this as part of an answer at a U.S. Department of Defense news briefing in February 2002 regarding the Iraq war and W.M.D.s
“Because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things that we know that we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don't know we don't know”
The first thing God tells Avraham is to leave his land and his family and travel in to the unknown. A big part of Judaism and a big part of life is getting comfortable with the unknown, accepting the mysterious, not denying it or fearing it, but accepting it.
“Get comfortable being uncomfortable” -Wayne Davis:Head Sales trainer J.P. Morgan Chase
One of the greatest mysteries in life is death. No one knows exactly what happens to us after we die. Death is a part of life that is sealed in mystery.
In this week's Parsha the concept of a Chok (decree) is introduced. A Chok is a commandment that does not have a clear reason or purpose. It is a mystery to us. Rashi quoting the Gemara (Yoma 67b) states that the Satan will mock the Jewish people saying of the Chokem, what is this commandment , and what purpose does it have?
Commentaries on Rashi’s commentary called super commentaries (over 200 exist) note that the Satan in this case could be our own Yetzer Harah or evil inclination. Our inner voice saying to us that this does not make sense.
We must accept the limits of our understanding, while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of these limits. It is in this seemingly contradictory space that we must feel comfortable operating in . We don't have all the answers, and this is what the original journey that Avraham went on was all about, he was searching for the unknown, unknowns.
“Don’t fear what you don’t know,let that be your room to grow, you got to fight for your mind”- Ben Harper
Donald Rumsfeld gave this as part of an answer at a U.S. Department of Defense news briefing in February 2002 regarding the Iraq war and W.M.D.s
“Because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things that we know that we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don't know we don't know”
The first thing God tells Avraham is to leave his land and his family and travel in to the unknown. A big part of Judaism and a big part of life is getting comfortable with the unknown, accepting the mysterious, not denying it or fearing it, but accepting it.
“Get comfortable being uncomfortable” -Wayne Davis:Head Sales trainer J.P. Morgan Chase
One of the greatest mysteries in life is death. No one knows exactly what happens to us after we die. Death is a part of life that is sealed in mystery.
In this week's Parsha the concept of a Chok (decree) is introduced. A Chok is a commandment that does not have a clear reason or purpose. It is a mystery to us. Rashi quoting the Gemara (Yoma 67b) states that the Satan will mock the Jewish people saying of the Chokem, what is this commandment , and what purpose does it have?
Commentaries on Rashi’s commentary called super commentaries (over 200 exist) note that the Satan in this case could be our own Yetzer Harah or evil inclination. Our inner voice saying to us that this does not make sense.
We must accept the limits of our understanding, while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of these limits. It is in this seemingly contradictory space that we must feel comfortable operating in . We don't have all the answers, and this is what the original journey that Avraham went on was all about, he was searching for the unknown, unknowns.
“Don’t fear what you don’t know,let that be your room to grow, you got to fight for your mind”- Ben Harper
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