Photo by Alyssa L. Miller

Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, so as to trespass against Jehovah, and that soul shall be guilty; then he shall confess his sin which he hath done: and he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him in respect of whom he hath been guilty. But if the man have no kinsman to whom restitution may be made for the guilt, the restitution for guilt which is made unto Jehovah shall be the priest’s; besides the ram of the atonement, whereby atonement shall be made for him.

In Numbers 5, god explains to Moses what should the rule be when a person commits a sin. On a simple level, this seems obvious. God has been laying out the rules of societal living for a number of chapters now.  In a sense, I feel like the god we saw in the beginning of the bible, which gave only guidelines and general directions became a little tired with disappointments, and decided to micro-manage, but dictating rules governing almost all aspect of life.

However, on a closer look, the specific verses quoted above represent a deep understanding into human life and psychology. Notice, it is not “if” a man or woman shall commit any sin, it is “when” a man or a woman shall commit a sin. The sin is a given; just a matter of time.

And indeed, we all “sin” sometimes. Nobody is perfect all the time. Nobody can always be good, follow the rules, keep his or her promises to self and others. The thing is to realize that. To understand that sinning is part of life. And while it is OK to demand that people be held responsible, if they do acknowledge that responsibility, they are entitled to a second chance.

For me, this advice is most important when thinking about sins we commit against ourselves. Not the big ones, but the little ones. We promised ourselves we get out of work on time; or finish an amount of work; or workout; or not touch that cookie. And we fail. Because it is hard to always keep to our promises, even to ourselves. Especially to ourselves. The question is what do we do when that happens? Are we able to recognize our own responsibility for that failed promise and then forgive ourselves? Or do we, instead, give up, blame everybody else, and stop making promises to ourselves? Current-day research shows that this is essential for our own future success.

So, next time you or others make some wrong choices, look for the responsibility taking and then let yourself the pleasure of forgiving.

Elad

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In Leviticus 26 god lays down before the people of Israel both the “carrots” of following him and the “sticks”. As a good psychologist, how knows that losses loom larger than gains, the “sticks” part of the chapter is almost twice as large as the “carrots” part.

What fascinated me in this chapter is the basic requirement:

If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them…

I find the phrasing to be fascinating. It is not enough to do the commandments. The people of Israel are also required to “keep” them and to “walk” them. Notice the order. “Doing” comes last, while “walking” comes first. That made me think two (maybe contradicting) thoughts:

1. The rules themselves are not of higher importance, but the whole process and intention involved in them is. In Israel, members of the parliament are constantly bragging about how many of their suggested laws have been passed in the last seat of the house. I would have liked to see a different statistic being used: how many of the laws passed are actually being enforced? It is really nice to have all kinds of laws on paper, but if nobody enforces them, if they stay only on paper, why should we care. I would like to see a reduction of laws that will increase their sacredness. We should choose only a number of very important rules, but live them to the fullest.  Can we say that for every new law someone suggests he or she needs to point which old rule this new law will replace? As Leviticus 26 itself suggests: “ye shall bring forth the old because of the new”
2. By asking to “walk” the rules, god does not ask for blind obedience. Instead, the requirement is to understand the idea and logic of the law and try to achieve that. Just because it is a rule, does not mean anything. Does it make sense? How does it pan out in reality? What are the consequences of the law when you “walk” it out? These questions are just as important as following the law to the letter.

Elad

Source: Hacked IRL

It is that time of year again. The time the Jewish tradition tells us that each and every one of us should see him/herself as if he/she personally escaped from slavery in Egypt. And while we are not slaves in Egypt anymore (at least I am assuming that if you are reading this you aren’t), the lessons from that story should still resonate with us again and again. As became my habit in the last few years, I give you my few own thoughts about freedom as my gift for the holiday. These are the freedoms I wish, first for myself, second to my closest family and friends and last to everybody else (that’s just the kind of guy I am):

The freedom from the person we think we should be – I heard somebody say once that when we look in the mirror, we see three people: the person we want to be, the person everybody else sees, and the person we are. They usually don’t match. And the first two usually determine how we treat the last one. Isn’t it time to turn the table? We are who we are. Not perfect, but wonderful nonetheless. Instead of trying to live up to our dreams or to other’s perceptions, shouldn’t we be free to live as who we are now. The person we want to be and the person everybody else sees are oppressors. It is time to cut free of them.

The freedom to hurt – we spend so much of our time trying to protect ourselves, to make ourselves happier, to prevent any harm. But being hurt is part of being alive. The hurt allows us to know our limits; to understand what we stand for and what we really care about. Yes, being hurt (physically or emotionally) is not a pleasurable experience. But it is an enlightening one. Being hurt is how we forage ourselves to be better.

The freedom from ideologies – don’t get me wrong on this one. I am not saying you shouldn’t have an opinion or believe in something passionately. On the contrary. But when beliefs start to blind us or when they start to be the main issue instead of being a tool to achieve meaningful human accomplishments, then they become evil oppressors. Leave the ideology behind. Talk to people. Try to understand the other side’s point of view. Ask yourself why you believe what you believe. Leave the empty ideologies to the politicians.

The freedom to be an artist – for a long time I believed I had no creativity at all. I believed that creating things, beautiful things, meaningful things, is for other “artsy” people. I was wrong. Because art is so much more than what we usually think about as art. Every time you connect with another human being, you are creating art. I found the places where I made a difference, where the things I did were not beautiful in the traditional sense, but still made an impact, even a small one, in people’s lives. Do I still have doubts about my ability to create art? All the time. It is a constant struggle, but when I win the fight I gain my freedom to create real art, the results are amazing. What is your art? How are you making a difference? Are you fighting for your freedom to create?

Happy Passover,

Elad

Photo by NASA Goddard Photo and Video

The entire Leviticus 25 is a song of praise to the temporality of life. Nothing is certain. Nothing lasts forever. Nothing can continue producing for ever without a break for replenishment. Nobody should stay in the same social status for ever (especially if it is a lower status) or be forever in debt for others. If, as Malcolm Gladwell claims in “outliers”, a great deal of people’s success in life could be accounted to luck (e.g., where and when they born), there is something comforting about a social system that re-shuffles the cards once in a while, and gives second chances.

Even with that, for me personally, one verse stood out more than any other in this chapter:

And the land shall not be sold in perpetuity; for the land is mine: for ye are strangers and sojourners with me

The world is fraught with disputes about land. As a native Israel born person, I know this too well. Maybe that is why I find this verse comforting. Is there really something so special about a piece of land that we have to fight about it? Should we really be so attached to “my land” or “our land”? This is something I wrote in my e-book, based on an idea I read in Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks book: “Radical Then, Radical Now: The Legacy of the World’s Oldest Religion“:

To finish this section, I just want you to think about a synagogue, the Jewish temple. Why is a synagogue considered to be a sacred place?

The first answer that comes to mind is because this is the place the Torah books are kept or a place where God is worshiped. But, this is actually not the answer. A synagogue is sacred because it is a place where people gather. It is a place where people chose, with their own free will, to worship God. But especially it is a place where people chose to be a community, to treat each other as a community and to educate their children to be better people. This is what makes it so sacred. People before land. People before God. Conscience people. Responsible people. People that live everyday to change the world, according to their rules.

I still believe it with all my heart. Your life is what you make of it, no matter where you are. It is who you choose to interact with and how you choose to interact with them that determines your life. Whether god created the world or whether we came to be from a long process of evolution, it will behoove us to remember that we are only temporary guests here and start behaving accordingly.

Elad

And he that smiteth any man mortally shall surely be put to death. And he that smiteth a beast mortally shall make it good, life for life. And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbor; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him: breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be rendered unto him. And he that killeth a beast shall make it good: and he that killeth a man shall be put to death. Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the sojourner, as for the home-born: for I am Jehovah your God

I mentioned my dislike for the “eye for an eye” rule before on this blog (see here and here) as too many people end up losing their eyes. But when I read these verses in Leviticus 24, it got me thinking on the same issue in a different light.

First, reading the quoted section above made me think about reciprocity and how this is the bible’s way to remind us that our social institutions are fictions of our own creation, that are solely based on our willingness to cooperate. If we really think that living in a society is better for us than living as individuals in “the wild”, we need to remember that the most basic foundation of this society is social exchange. From this point of view, the “eye for an eye” rule is not a literal rule, but a conceptual rule, reminding us that our embededness in society means we have to give in addition to receiving. Rights are important, but rights also imply duties.

Second, I like the utter and simple equality suggested in the quote above. The most important aspect of it is not the specific punishments, but the fact that they apply to all, for the sojourner, as for the home-born. Yes, the bible talks about the uniqueness of the people of Israel, but this uniqueness does not come on the expense of  others and does not allow them for additional rights or privileges. While I have my own issues with how the idea of equality is dominating areas in our life where it should not preside, I still believe in the basic premise that we are all (and this is an inclusive a “all” as you can imagine) human beings and some basic rules apply to all of us.

So, no to the literal “eye for an eye”. Yes to reciprocity and equality.

Elad

These days inequality is a hot topic of discussion with focus given to the (mostly) adverse effects it has on society. While I strongly believe in some of the basic ideas of capitalism (especially the forces of creation of improvement associated with), it is hard not to recognize that a completely self-interested view can lead to some undesirable results in terms of the fabric of our existence in a human system. There is growing evidence that the trickling down effect is just not taking place in reality and that instead of increasing the entire pie, some of our economic systems make the inequalities in our society even bigger. Given this background, it is almost refreshing to read this verse in Leviticus 23:

And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them for the poor, and for the sojourner: I am Jehovah your God.

I think this simple idea of providing to the poor by leaving some parts of the harvest for them, is even deeper that what it appears to be initially. It strikes an interesting balance between the rights of the working person to the deserved spoils of his or her hard work and the realization that we are all intertwined as part of one society, that has to hold and support each other. It is a realization, that in everything we create, there is something that belongs to us, but there is also something that belongs to everybody else. It is not that we owe society back. It is not about an economic exchange. It is a social exchange, an understanding that we are what we are, in part, due to where we live and who we interact with. It reflects an understanding that no one – man or woman – is an island that can ignore the environment he or she resides in.

Next time you create something, think about the role others played in that creation and more importantly, about how you can give back to the due part, not because you have to, but because it is part of the creation process itself.

Elad

Photo by May-Cristof

In my Ph.D. studies these days I am working on a few projects dealing with intragroup conflict. One question that comes up in the literature is whether to openly discuss “relationship conflict” – interpersonal tensions and incompatibilities. In other words, if a colleague or teammate behavior offended, angered or made you uncomfortable, should you ignore it or should you bring it up and openly discuss it? Some empirical findings suggest that the best way is to avoid any open discussion of such conflicts, as it leads to decreased team performance and satisfaction levels. My approach is different as I believe that this approach is not only impractical it could have problematic long-term implications. That is why I was delighted to encounter this verse in Leviticus 19:

Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart: thou shalt surely rebuke thy neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.

I love this verse for several reasons. First, it encourages us to interact with our fellow-men and women. Second, it recognizes the emotional toll involved in holding feeling in. Third, and this is my dual reading in Hebrew and English helps, it sees the “sin” as holding thing in. While some interpretations see this as saying you have to speak up when somebody else sins (which I generally agree with), here, I think the focus is about not holding things in. It doesn’t have to be a sin by the other person, but it becomes one if you do not speak about it, because if you don’t tell that person, he or she cannot know what is in your heart. Forth, and most importantly, I think this is where the bible again touches on those everyday struggles. Each and every one of us faces the question: should I talk with him/her or not? Should I say something? And the unequivocal answer we read here is: “yes, you should, for you!”.

Usually we say put your money where your mouth is. The bible tells us that it is just as important (for us) to put our mouths where our heart is.

Elad

Leviticus 16 mandates establishment of a holy day on the 10th day of the 7th month as the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) for sins:

And it shall be a statute for ever unto you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and shall do no manner of work, the home-born, or the stranger that sojourneth among you: for on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins shall ye be clean before Jehovah.

Why? Why do we need a special day for atonement? Why wait a year? Why do we have to wait for a certain day to atone for our sins? Why not just whenever they happen?

While I believe that we should try to avoid making any sins instead of avoiding them, I find wisdom in this practice. It recognized two important aspect of human behavior. One, it is hard for us to forgive (others and ourselves) while something is fresh and salient in our minds. Second, the mere fact that there is a known process – a day each year when everybody knows that atonement is practiced makes it easier for people to forgive and to approach people they hurt. The routine, the knowledge of the procedure, helps people overcome their feelings of anger, frustration and revenge as well as shame and fear of openly discussing hurtful issues.

For a religion, it makes sense to wait a year, but I think that in our interpersonal lives, we can use a “day of atonement” every once in a while. If our families, co-workers and other people close to us know that every once in a while (in a predicted manner), there is a day that is devoted to reflecting on what we did wrong and on forgiving others, it facilitates not only important communication, but also an openness to discuss, forgive and most importantly, grow as human beings.

While I think each and every one of us should find the process and frequency that fits his or her own taste and preferences, I recommend at least considering setting up public times of atonement. It could be once a year. It could be more frequent than that. Make sure that everyone around you knows that once in a while, there is a time that allows putting past grievances behind us.

Elad

Leviticus 11, 44:

For I am Jehovah your God: sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am holy

Role modeling at it best.

We can all be like god. We should all be like god.

However, we are not automatically like god. It requires sanctification.

For some of us, that sanctification can come through work. For others, through creation of art or through pure thought. Others still will find it in their family and friends. In the end, it is all about connecting with other in the most human way possible.

Because underneath all the cynicism, witticism and skepticism we all know what holy is and we all aspire to it. And we can all reach it. It is around us in the people we know and interact with everyday. If you treat these relationship as holy, they will be holy. And you be holy.

It’s worth it.

Elad

“And he hath filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship”

One of the very basic aspirations human beings have is that of mastery. To not only be good at what we do, but to actually be great at it. To have that feeling, that moment, where what we do takes over us, consumes us, makes us feel a part of something greater. Like we are filled with the spirit of god.

Some will call it flow. Some will call it joy or happiness. Some will call it Art.

Six months before he was assassinated, on October 26, 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to a group of students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia, this is part of what he said:

If you are called to be a street sweeper, sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well’.

When we are masters of our trade, we are much more than that. We have an impact. We connect not only with the most inner parts of ourselves, but also with something greater. That is why I love the quote above from Exodus 35, hidden in a long shopping list Moses demands from the people of Israel. It highlights, that great workmanship is not only about what we actually do, but about what we are – our wisdom, understanding and knowledge.

And you know what? When we see mastery, or at least an attempt at one, we recognize it, we connect with it, we appreciate it. Be it the graceful moves of a supreme athlete, the calmness and kindness of a customer service representative, the breathtaking music of an amazing singer or the well crafted arguments of the lawyer in court. We appreciate it. We value it. We carve for it.

I too sometimes see what I do as just that, something I do. Every time I act like that I am passing on an opportunity to try and master it. Because to be a master of something does not means actually being the best. It is about trying to be best. It is about putting all our effort in it. It is about connecting with ourselves, with what we do and with others.

I don’t know what it is that you do. I hope you are trying to treat it as a master. I wish for you to treat it as a master and to actually be one. I wish for all of us that you will be a master.

Elad