Of course it
is. It’s also bad to eat white bread and drink fizzy drinks. A deeper
question would be; Is it evil to sin?
To a casual
reader this may seem like a silly distinction. ‘Bad’ and ‘evil’ are only
different in semantics. However the
literature is full of fascinating debate as to the actual difference between
these two concepts.
In classical Kabbalah,
every time a person sins he causes a spiritual separation to take place
between two G-dly ‘components’ (the Shechina and the Ein Sof). Only Teshuva (repentance
or literally ‘return’) can bring them back together again.
In other
writings, sin is equated to the very essence of impurity and evil. It is even
said to have almost ‘demonic’ characteristics. (See Quest for Authenticity by R
Michael Rosen)
However, in the
teachings of the three generations of Peshischa, including the Rebbe of Kotzk,
sin takes on none of these aforementioned nuances. Sin (while
obviously not condoned) loses its esoteric status and becomes something far
more human. In Kotzk there
is nothing mystical or spiritual about sin. It is simply the natural
consequence of human failing and frailty.
In Kotzk sin is
not evil.
The Kotzker’s
teacher, R Simcha Bunim writes:
Man [Adam], is still referred to as Man, even after his sin. As is Woman [Eve], still called Woman, even after being expelled from the garden.
(Ramatayim
Tzofim 1,1)
In Torah
literature, many people’s names and certainly statuses change as a direct
result of their actions. Yet even with the fundamental and archetypical sin of
the first man and woman, they remained essentially the same and unchanged,
before and after.
It is interesting
that in today’s world, we unknowingly continue to act out both sides of this
debate: Some are quite
accepting of people who may come from difficult and different backgrounds. They
may not condone lifestyles antithetical to that of the Torah way of life but
they move on and see what could be, not what was. They don’t dwell in the past. The Kotzker’s
brother-in-law, the Chidushei HaRim says:
If you think about dirt you remain in the dirt.
(Chidushei
HaRim 261)
Others,
possibly from a sense of superiority or fear, can only look disapprovingly
down, not ahead. At best their relationship with such people is coldly condescending
and painfully patronizing. They seem to believe that there is something almost ‘demonic’
and ‘spiritually alien’ in these souls, and do not want to become contaminated.
These two
attitudes are quite prevalent today. My personal
belief is that practically there is only one choice that can save us from
spiritual extinction. I’m with Kotzk on this one. You can only
become contaminated if you believe that sin is evil. But if it’s
only bad, perhaps you can
‘contaminate’ them with good.
No comments:
Post a Comment