The Conformist
The conformist usually discovers too late that all those friends and the social acceptability for which he sacrificed his entire spiritual life cared nothing about him…
Part 9 of “The Journey,” by Erez Moshe Doron: an elaboration of Rebbe Nachman’s famous tale of “The Rabbi and the Only Son”
They journeyed, and they came to an inn along the way where they wanted to sleep. While they were sitting in the inn they met a merchant…
Once again he sets out on the quest. However, a person sometimes arrives at a condition called “spiritual sleep,” even though he is journeying on the way. Then, just as in physical sleep, the imagination will take over and illusions will increase. Although a person may be traveling on the spiritual path, he will sometimes feel that he is very far away from having grasped true meaning. He will feel as if he is in a mist. At that time the evil inclination will come to meet him.
In the parable the evil inclination is represented by the merchant who proceeds to sell his wares. He will tell the traveler that the mist is eternal and inescapable.
…They met a merchant with whom they began a conversation. It was the usual conversation of merchants.
They spoke about business, and about all those topics which people whose eyes are not raised to heaven speak. In a short time they arrived at one of the classical obstacles facing a person who is seeking the truth. They equate him with the rest of humanity.
In effect, they are categorizing those seeking their soul as strange, unnecessary and a meaningless minority.
…The Rabbi was embarrassed to say that he was journeying to the holy man.
It is very difficult to stand against the whole world.
Many books have been written throughout the generations about spiritual quests and about heroes who have sought for truth in life. These literary creations leave a powerful impression upon their readers. Yet, how many of these millions of readers go themselves to a real search without consideration for the opinion of the herd?
When a person takes too much consideration for what his friends or parents will say, then in the end he will fail. It is sad to contemplate the person who has abandoned fulfillment of his inner self and his entire spiritual life because it is not too acceptable among his associates. Instead, he opts for a simple but cruel deal: his friends and an acceptable social standing in exchange for his entire self-fulfillment.
What is even more humiliating is that this person usually discovers too late that all those friends and the social acceptability for which he sacrificed so much are all unreliable and unfaithful. He is left alone with the belated lesson that when you do not “have” yourself, you do not have anything.
The merchant told them that in a certain place there is a particular holy man, and in another place another holy man, etc.
Before a person who is searching there are many possible paths. Who says that Judaism is the absolutely true way? There are many other spiritual paths which also maintain that they are absolutely true. Even if we assume for the moment that there are other viable paths, the competing claims to truth is no reason not to search. If there are many, then examine them.
The assertion that Judaism is the absolute truth should not be used as an excuse to negate searching into it. Unfortunately, this is exactly what many people do. Instead of taking the entire matter more seriously because of Judaism’s claim to uniqueness, they fabricate an excuse in order to remain comfortably and lazily upon their couches with a foolish smile plastered on their faces. They suppose that so many claims to truth constitute a check-mate to all of them. Their seeming intellectual victory is nothing but emptiness. If many men claim to be suitable for a particular job, does that mean that none of them are?
A true examination in depth will quickly reveal that there is an enormous and very meaningful difference between Judaism which was given to us by the G-d who knows all, and those paths which were invented by other people.
They began to speak about the holy man to whom they were journeying. The merchant said to them, “That one…! He is not a holy man at all. I am just now traveling from him, and when I was there I saw him sin.”
This is really a very difficult argument. Often someone will come to a person who has already embarked on the quest and say to him, “Those religious people, you think they have the truth?! Look at them. What do they do? There, in their dark neighborhoods, in their medieval ghettos, in their peculiar dress which doesn’t fit anywhere — do you think they have the truth there? Besides…, they also sin. Do you think they don’t have thieves or cheats or adulterers?
“They are just like us. They are even worse. They are almost not human, curiosities from the past. What could they know? Could a person learn from them wisdom of life or how to live?”
Authoritative sounding statements like these weaken many people and deflect them from seeking Judaism or examining it. However, the truth is that such prejudices will be accepted only by a person who is looking for an excuse to justify why he doesn’t need to explore Judaism.
Someone who is truly searching will be able to set aside the opinions of these “merchants” long enough to examine the truth of the subject for himself and with his own eyes.
As we mentioned earlier, not all the people in the religious community are holy angels. There are negative characters among them. However, these do not represent the majority of the community, nor do they represent what G-d wants us to be. Most people who follow the way of Judaism, abiding by G-d’s commandments and endeavoring to live according to the Torah, are fine people. Their ways are pleasant, and their commitment to spirituality is serious and noticeable in its effect upon their behavior. They are people who are always trying to improve their characters because that is one of the most important expectations of the Torah.
Even if all the religious people were exactly as the cheap “merchants” portray them, nevertheless, we are not talking about people anyway, but about the Law of the Creator. The Torah would still lay before us in its entire purity waiting for all those who are seeking the meaningful and spiritual way to fulfill their lives. It does not matter what the rest of the people are doing or thinking.
To be continued.
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With sincere gratitude to www.levhadvarim.com
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