“There is..... no place without a
fragment of G-d's light waiting to be discovered and
redeemed.” - Rabbi
Sacks ZT”L
Let me
preface this article by saying that this is not a theological paper. It is not
aimed at debating religious items or beliefs. Neither does it seek to convince
anyone of the validity of one religion over another. Rather, it seeks to discuss the evolution of
the titular concept and how it affects us in our daily lives not just as
individuals but also as members of humanity.
The idea
or the hypothesis, as some may suggest, of god is a constitutive pillar in
every religion and culture. It has been the subject of debates among many
scholars, philosophers and psychologists throughout history. Naturally, it bears
a different meaning to many.
I guess
that the term can be perceived as a spiritual power, above man, that enters his
consciousness and outlines his world. It is plausible, therefore, to presume
that the stories of creation, for instance, were designed to provide each
culture with a conceivable, clear and logical explanation for the existence of
the universe and the presence of a superpower that has also created man.
Since most
humans need something concrete to grasp, something upon which to focus their thoughts
and direct them to the divine, ancient cultures created gods that took
different shapes and forms. These, generally, did not adopt our likeness or resemble
humans. Rather, their creators maneuvered between humans and animals drawing a
different bodily part from each and combining the good and bad traits of each
in their personality. The underlying assertion for that was that god cannot be
identified with only part of his devotees.
However,
the Greek philosopher, Xenophanes (570-478 BCE), who should have known that, noted
that “if horses or cattle had hands, or
were able to draw with their hands and do the works that men can do, horses
would draw the forms of the gods like horses, and cattle like cattle, and they
would make their bodies such as they had themselves with his own voice and
body.” That is exactly what the ancient Greeks did. They copied images of
beautiful people, physically attractive figures with well sculptured bodies.
They attributed to them eternal life, the ability to change forms and the
privilege to do whatever they wished.
And then,
of course, there is the Jewish concept of the divine. The G-d of Abraham, the Jewish
G-d, who, according to tradition, has thirteen attributes. He is an abstract
entity, shapeless, omnipotent and omnipresent. He is what Alfred Adler, the
acclaimed psychologist, defines as “the most brilliant manifestation of the
goal of perfection.” That notion of the divine was later welcomed and willingly
accepted by Christians and Muslims alike.
With
time, the invisible G-d has become an idea that not only cannot be disproved but
continues to spur many of us to debate His existence. We go through life trying
to prove it. In the words of Rabbi Sacks ZT”L, we keep searching for “a
fragment of G-d’s light waiting to be discovered and redeemed.”
The quest for the invisible G-d, has advanced humanity
immensely. On our journey to find G-d, that abstract deity, naturally, many questions
have been raised. “What is His essence? How do we know if He even exists? What
evidence do we have for His existence?” are but a few of them.
Asking
questions, as I have mentioned in some of my writings, in the past, questions
about the universe that surrounds us, about nature and the various phenomena
that we witness, and the search for answers have advanced humanity and contributed
to the progress of our civilization.
Let me
provide one example, that might help explain my assertion above, one to which the majority of people can relate. I am
referring to space exploration.
To
many, the idea of space had been an enigma, a notion somewhat verging on the
realm of the abstract. Man’s curiosity and desire to unlock the secrets of our
cosmos pushed him to ask questions and seek answers. Space
exploration was one way towards that end and has been a crane for a variety of
discoveries, developments, inventions and great human achievements in more than
one area. It has assisted in enhancing our lives through the advancement
of medical devices such as ultrasound and other means to boost our healthcare
system. It has aided economic growth, contributed to Global Positioning Systems
which has impacted shipping and trade and assisted in facilitating monitoring
arms conflicts.
Now, if
the exploration of space, which, as we have witnessed, is anything but
abstract, has added immensely to bettering our daily lives, imagine how the
unending quest for G-d, an eternally invisible, abstract entity, could improve
our lives even further.
Throughout
human history, the higher powers of Western civilization have transformed from many gods to one G-d. The gods that bore the shapes of
humans, celestial bodies, animals or plants morphed into an abstract, shapeless
G-d who is invisible. This is very much the result of our increasing knowledge
and understanding of the universe that surrounds us which makes it harder to
accept the notion of gods in the images of the Greek or Roman gods. Following
the development of the discipline of philosophy, humans have become more
sophisticated and skeptical and were thus ripe to accept the concept of the abstract
G-d of Judaism.
On the
path leading to the progress of humanity, G-d, so it seems, has become an
entity which gets harder and harder to disprove. We are, therefore, left with
no choice but to keep searching for and aspire to find that “fragment of G-d’s
light waiting to be discovered and redeemed.”
