I have a degree in philosophy. This is one of the very first things that came up when I met Rabbi Ben, and he made fun of me for it. But the truth is, studying philosophy has served me well. It taught me how to think and how to analyze, skills which come in handy both in the study of law and in the study of Torah.
I am a self-avowed existentialist. That is, I generally agree with the philosophy of existentialism, which states that existence precedes essence. In other words, we are not born with a predestined future or identity, but we create ourselves as we go along. We may be placed in different circumstances and given different strengths and weaknesses, but at the end of the day, we all have the same choices.
This is in direct contrast to many of the world’s religions. Many Christian religions, for instance, believe that how you are born is simply how you are. You’re born in sin or with “original sin” and you just have to live with that. There is a sense of futility: you neither can choose to change, nor do you even need to. You could be a terrible person, a murderer, a miser, or worse, and you could still go to Heaven. Not so in Judaism.
In Judaism we understand that G-d has given us free choice and with that free choice, we wield enormous power. It’s true that we are born with certain character traits, but every moment we have a chance to change. We have the power to decide to be whoever we decide we want to be, whatever kind of person we want to be. What an empowering concept! It inspires self-confidence and self-esteem.
Yet, it is a double-edged sword because with enormous power comes enormous responsibility. Not only do we have the ability to become whoever we want to be, but we also have to take responsibility for every one of our actions. And, as human beings, we make mistakes and we have to be ready to take responsibility for those mistakes.
In this week’s parsha, we see just how important this concept really is. As Jacob blesses each of his sons before he dies, he rebuffs many of them for their previous poor behavior. What they did in their lives was who they each became. As a result, those of his children who had done good things were recalled for those good deeds… while those who had done bad things were recalled for those bad things instead.
This can seem pretty weighty, especially when each of us make mistakes every single day. Yet, there is no reason to feel depressed over this. Although Judaism does hold us responsible for each of our actions and who we are is molded by them, we have the opportunity to create new actions all the time. We can do teshuvah (repentance) and that new action will, in a sense, override the prior one. We can erase one part of who we have become and in its place write a new line in the book of our lives.
Shabbat shalom!
