Rabbi Yishmoel the Cohen Gadol came into the Holy of Holies in the Beis Hamikdosh (hence the holiest Jew, in the Holiest place on the Holiest day!) and there God said to him “Yishmoel my son, please bless me”, “May your compassion overtake your judgmentalism” answered he.

 

Now God, is obvious all-knowing, all-kind – but any cursory read of the Bible does indicate he has some anger issues…

Flooding the entire world – really!

Anyone reading the prophets, also sees a lot of “anger issues”.

The truth is: What about us?

We begin life full of love for people, and somehow we also develop anger issues.

In fact, it is fair to say, that anger and issues is the same word – you get angry when you take issue.

All of Kabbalah, at least the part describing the soul, is about the three paradigms we will always find ourselves in.

The first is the state of love, “love is blind” – when you love someone, you literally cannot see their faults, much as we do many stupid things which we literally don’t see, because our love shields us from seeing anything derogatory to it (so in other words, our emotions become what our brain a. focuses on, and b. deny.)

However there is another emotional state, when instead of loving a person fears – in this emotional state, not only do we see potential catastrophes (the brain’s way of protecting ourselves; for example, if you were walking in a field and I told you to be careful “there is a land=mine,” you would see multiple potentials) However there is a offshoot, as in the words of that oh’ so wise mystic Yoda’ “the path to the darkside is through fear”:

For by nature we become jealous of others, when they have something we believe we are equally entitled to (which is why children can become very upset if their brother and sister gets something if they think they deserve, as many candies etc.)

So now, if we began life in a calm and happy way, and we have unfortunately have fear induced into us – we now become jealous of those people who lack fear!! – this is a major issue – the reason this is such an issue is because just as love shows you how to attain it, and fear shows you what to fear; jealousy shows you what to hate – when Iran and other fanatical Muslims speak about the “crimes” of the west, they really really see it – when hitler speaks about the evil of Jews etc. he really really saw it – they see what they want to see – with only one little caveat, they are not aware that this is what they want to see! – for unlike fear, and love and even hate; a person is conscious of the cause; but in jealousy, part of the issue is, the ego feels “it isn’t fair,” so to accept, that “it is fair,” would mean that I am somehow inferior to that person; as the entire goal of the ego is to be superior and certainly not inferior, it doesn’t allow the person to see that their hate is based on jealousy.

Then there is a third path and this truly is the path of God – this is the path of understanding which leads to compassion.

For both in the case of love and the case of fear, the lens though which I am judging a reality is simply, how it affects me…

But when I step out of my own shoes and place myself, to the extent possible in the others – when I am not thinking about me, rather about you- then my response is based on knowledge and knowledge is objective (unlike an emotion which is subjective) and in objectivity there is no fear, rather the true attitude.

Hence in point of fact, as Chassidus tells us, God sort of caused himself to travel through these dispositions – in the beginning, the world began with abundance, people lived long, the earth gave them produce, they didn’t get ill – but they turned into rapists, thieves and savages – so God finally had enough – one man (and his family or due to him his family) found favor in God’s eyes – God pressed reset.

In other words, God was “learning” what we all must, and ultimately as we journey though life do learn – the proper distinctions, discernment and balance in relationships.