Playing with Our Minds

If He had made the world a complete and utter mystery, we would have no path to know Him. And if all would fit together like a neat and tidy grandfather clock, we would not know that there is anything more to know.

So He took His raw, unknowable Will and cloaked it in wisdom, and through that wisdom a world was formed. And in that world, we sentient beings are drawn to the wisdom—only to find ourselves engulfed within an unfathomable ocean of wonders.

Now it is within the mind’s grasp to know that no thought can grasp Him.

Likkutei Sichot, vol. 6, page 21, and sources cited in footnotes there.

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The Unnatural Nature of Things

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By Tzvi Freeman

From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. Subscribe and get your dose daily. To order Rabbi Freeman’s latest book, Wisdom to Heal the Earth, click here.

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Wisdom to Heal the Earth is a revolutionary new look at Tikun Olam based on the teachings of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.

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12 Comments

Margo Carrancejie Anderson IN January 6, 2017

Very beautiful. What a special gift from our Creator--creativity .... Reply

K. Toronto October 28, 2015

Wow a particuarly tight packed little torah package of intensity in this one!! yes, it seems that the infant, or should i say, the 'enfante terrible' stage we need to grasp onto Him.

I can see Noach here; asking why why and especially How? a flood that encompasses the entire world?

It sure takes alot of humility to realize that there is eternity in the smallest particle of life. The dizzying ocean of wonders, the grasping, the re-seeding of another world.

There's a long journey in this DD. Alot of drama happens
The grasping is all kosher. And then there's the desired closure. Thank you to all who commented with such heart felt notes. Reply

Karin Kruger Oklahoma City, OK/USA October 28, 2015

Play with our Minds The last line in today's DD - "no thought can grasp Him" brought back two distinct memories.

The first is when we first moved to Oklahoma and I went through my first tornado. It passed directly over our house around 02:30 and destroyed huge cottonwood trees, stole one of our garbage can lids and left the first blooming rose intact. (This same tornado caused 5M worth of damage; this was a huge amount in 1971.)

The second memory comes from Spielberg's movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark and involves the scene where the Nazis' find the Ark and open it. For lack of better words, a swirling light emerges - it melts the Nazis' faces, yet leaves Indy and his friend intact because they shut their eyes. I can't even describe the light, even to others who have seen the movie!

Although my mind can grasp the results of either, seeing the "force" of either entirely escapes me. Reply

James More Seasaw City October 28, 2015

Awesome wonder The awesome wonder of the creation around us and our creator blesses us with reasoning and curses us if them who do not choose good over evil or are so ignorant not to know the difference. Reply

Monty Pogoda Israel October 28, 2015

Too true. Oh so true. Reply

Eugina G Herrera New York, New York June 5, 2012

Utter Mystery When we refer to grandfather clock is the "Measurements of Time" and Utter Mystery of Science thru time and space. The unknowable was known. The will of the mechanism became the wisdom of knowing. In other words, to seek when something is not there, when there is something there to seek. We learned to grasp his knowledge thru Peeking and Seeking with our Spirituality. In other words, We have to observe what and how G-d mind is thru Peeking and Seeking and within our heart.
G-d is one and his name is one, to observe and remember, One G-d always.
Hashem Reply

Eugina G Herrera New York, New York May 29, 2012

Strong Will I see "He" the "World" the "Mystery" I see "Him" Him is teaching us that what we can and can't grasp is our strong will that Him gave us all to grasp what we couldn't. Reply

Gavri Hanita Hazaka Abir Selek 2nd Vancouver, Canada May 20, 2012

The Mind Our minds seem to stray a lot. Unless you practice to focus on one thing or another our stray thought collectively become a sess pool that goes into segmental pond that can do no one any good. A person who practices not allowing stray thought to take over their mind is a person that brings every though into captivity Reply

Justin Roth Staten Island, NY May 20, 2012

Not playing with our minds... He is giving us a chance to learn His teachings. That's why he gave us the written and oral Torah, inspired the Kabbalah, and given His people Israel Koach and Chutzpah. G-d bless G-d! Baruch Hashem! Reply

Michelle UK May 20, 2012

thankyou, with love and gratitude reflecting ~ AMEN and Praise G-d we were given freewill to find and feel those spiritual ocean waves wash over and through us so that we can know and feel all ways at home, in this, His world. Reply

Anonymous w May 20, 2012

sure enough I agree with your words. At the same time, a little while back Chabad.org printed a poem by a young poet, name like Newsome. He had this remarkable line about " grabbing Hashem by the lapels " . It struck me numb that he used imagery of Hashem in the same way as i ' see ' it. It is the same as how i understand prophet Micah- ' Walk humbly with G-d '. It fits me at the literal level.

I know that our mind cannot grasp Him, but can't our soul-hand ? Rhetorical question, permission unnecessary. As outrageous as this may sound, it works for me. After all, our soul is attached to Him and so our soul-hand can do the grabbing of a lapel when needed. It beats praying to Him into thin air. The graphics simplify what is otherwise a mind boggling abstraction.

Okay, time for me to say the nighttime Shema to Him, nearby, a tug on the lapels; and far away, Omnipresent.

Thank you for your Awesome words. Reply

David Calabretta Whitefish, Mt. May 26, 2009

HE is as His Word I believe that the Word of G-d is the same as HE is, a Wonderful mystery that opens as HE allows when we are searching and in need of Divine direction. Sometimes the precious gem is for us alone and sometimes for a hurting souil who is not able, because of their pain to search for themselves. Reply

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