Teshuva, Humanity and the Search for Absolute Truth

1
CALEV BEN DOR
Teshuva, Humanity and the Search for Absolute
Truth
God said, "Let us make human beings in our image,
to be like us. They will reign over the fish in
the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all
the wild animals on the earth, and the small
animals that scurry along the ground." And God
created man in His own image, in the image of God
He created him male and female He created them.
And God blessed them and said to them 'Be
fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,
and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of
the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over
every living thing that creep upon the earth.'
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"Rabbi Simon said, "At the moment the Holy One
chose to create the first Adam the ministering
angels broke up into factions. Some of them said,
"Create him" while others said, "Don't do it."
Thus it is written "Loving-kindness and truth
will meet, righteousness and peace will kiss."
???-???? ?????    ??? ????? ????. (Psalms 8511)
Loving-kindness said Create him, for he will
do acts of loving-kindness. Truth said Don't
create him, for he is drenched in lies.
Righteousness said Create him, for he will do
much Tzedaka. Peace said Don't create him, for
he is essentially quarrelsome. What did the
Holy One do? He took Truth and cast it toward the
earth. Thus it is written, "And truth will be
cast to the earth." (Daniel 812) The ministering
angels said Sovereign of the Universe, Why do
You shame the leader of Your court? Let truth
rise from the earth. Thus it is written, "Truth
will arise from the earth. ???, ???? ???? "
(Psalms 8512) The elder R Huna of Sepphoris
said While Ministering angels were arguing with
one another, Hashem created Adam and then said
why are you arguing? Man is already made
(Midrash Bereshit Rabbah)
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2
The Attractiveness and Danger of Absolute Truth
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10 And God saw their works, that they turned from
their evil way and God repented of the evil,
which He said He would do to them. 1 But it
displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2
And he prayed unto the LORD, and said 'I pray
Thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was
yet in mine own country? Therefore I fled to
Tarshish for I knew that Thou art a gracious
God, and compassionate, long-suffering, and
abundant in mercy, and You forgive evil. 3
Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech Thee, my
life from me for it is better for me to die than
to live.'
Few things have done more harm than the belief on
the part of individuals or groups (or tribes or
states or nations or churches) that he or she or
they are in sole possession of the truth
especially about how to live, what to be and do
and that those who differ from them are not
merely mistaken, but wicked or mad and need
restraining or suppressing. It is a terrible and
dangerous arrogance to believe that you alone are
right have a magical eye which sees the truth
and that others cannot be right if they disagree.
The belief that there is one and only one true
answer to the central questions which have
agonized mankind and that one has it oneselfor
ones leader has itwas responsible for the
oceans of blood but no Kingdom of love sprang
from it. (Isaiah Berlin Notes on Prejudice)