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The Unbearable Heaviness of Being

Perhaps the most radical statement by Judaism is to be found in this week's Torah reading. "G-d is," says Moses to the assembled people of Israel. "There is nothing else" (Deuteronomy 4:35).

Some would be quick to point out that a number of eastern religions and philosophies also make the inexistence of the universe a central component of their world-view. Life is a dream, reality an illusion, in truth all is nothingness. But that's not what Judaism says. Judaism says that there is a world -- the first sentence of the Torah states that G-d created one, and the rest of the Torah instructs what should be done with it. Those who seek to escape reality are called "sinners". And yet, at the very same time, G-d is the only existence -- "There is nothing else."

Hundreds of discourses and thousands of pages of Chassidic teaching are devoted to discussing this paradox, which touches on the very crux of Judaism. You'll find samplings of these discussions in this week's magazine -- in Tzvi Freeman's six-part essay on Freedom of Choice and in the "From the Chassidic Masters" section of our Parshah summary. But in this article, I'd like to ask a very un-philosophical question: So what?

So I don't exist. Or I don't exist and do exist at the same time. So what? I still have to get up in the morning, I still have to deal with my landlord, my credit card balance, my mother-in-law, my co-workers and this guy whose elbow is crushing my ribs on this crowded subway car. It might make interesting reading, but in the final analysis, what difference does it make?

The problem is, "so what?" happens to be Chassidim's favorite question. Which means that there are at least as many pages discussing the practical implications and applications of the existence/non-existence paradox as those discussing the paradox itself. This is not going to help us make this discussion any shorter.

So let me just leave you with one thought. Think back to the last time you argued with a friend, or the last time you lashed out in anger at a loved one or a stranger. Now ask yourself: what if you took yourself just a little bit less seriously? What if you were just a tiny bit less certain that you actually exist?