Where the Heavens Kiss the Earth

Chapter One: A World of Purpose What are the most important questions we need answered in our lives? If we think about it, we realize that our questions have been asked before, grappled with by philosophers and writers and are called the existential questions: Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? Most thinking people have asked themselves these questions in their youth. The bizarre part is that although we never got a satisfactory answer, we usually just moved on with life, never thinking about the issues again, except maybe at some traumatic moment or literally on our deathbeds. But the answers to these questions are not really optional. It’s not like being curious about comets or rainbows and if we don’t sate our curiosity life continues without this information. We are not informed, but we manage. By definition, if we don’t know why we are alive and why we are here, it becomes impossible to live correctly. Purpose as Opposed to ‘Meaning’ Imagine I gave a primitive tribesman a Ferrari for his birthday. He has never seen a car before and he has no idea what purpose it serves. If he uses the car as an altar for his gods or even as a place to sleep, can we say that the purpose of the car has been achieved? This is the general flaw with many approaches to the existential questions, from Aristotle’s intellectual approach to the modern-day layman. The definition of purpose cannot be made by the user of the item; we have to learn about it from the manufacturer! The person who designs a car does so for a reason. This is true of all purposeful acts. If a vehicle is built for the purpose of transport, if we use it as a paper weight, it may serve some kind of function but certainly not the one it was created to do. Consequently, we can’t say it has fulfilled its purpose. A Ferrari is built with 900 horsepower, aerodynamic design and engine efficiency, with speed and status. Using it as paper weight would miss the point! Similarly, if we decide on what we enjoy doing in life and what feels meaningful to us, that may not necessarily have anything to do with our true purpose. If we saw someone who claimed that drinking beer and watching TV all day was the purpose of his life, we would think that’s a tragic waste. It is obvious that a person is made to do much more than that. We sadly realize that this TV watching beer drinker is not maximizing all that he can be and he needs to know that he has more potential. The more difficult concept to comprehend is that even if one acts nobly, without understanding the entire human being, the nature of the universe and the human role in that plan, one will never fully grasp one’s own purpose. We need to access all the information from the creator of the system who knows all the parts of the system, what every aspect represents and what purpose it serves. Without this information, we may use a Ferrari foolishly as a paperweight or with more ingenuity as a shelter, but either way, we will not be able to access the true reason and purpose for its formation. Now you may retort, “You are implying that there is a Creator of the universe! Who said we were created at all? Maybe we are only cosmic accidents, flukes of nature.” If this was true, then I would agree that there is no greater purpose. There can’t be because accidents are by definition purposeless! If I trip and spill the milk, it’s foolish to ask me, “What is the purpose of putting milk on the floor?” There was no purpose, it was an accident. If the universe is a cosmic accident, it makes sense that some people would decide that the correct approach to life is to party as much as possible. This is a modern version of the old Greek adage, “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.” Others correctly feel that this is too shallow and meaningless and genuinely look to do things that are kind, compassionate and just. That’s a huge improvement over living a life of meaninglessness. How much greater would it be to get the inside scoop on the deeper purpose of our existence? We have the benefit of this vital knowledge that has been transmitted to us by the Jewish mystics throughout the ages. We can turn to what they knew the Torah teaches us is the reason for our creation by examining the written and oral Torah, Biblical commentary and the mystical secrets conveyed in the Kabbalah. The written Torah refers to the twenty-four books of the Tanach which include the five books of the Hebrew Scriptures, as well as the writings of the Prophets and masters of Divine Inspiration (Ruach Hakodesh). The oral Torah refers to the Talmud, Mishnah, and Midrash. The Purpose of Creation (in a Nutshell) According to the Kabbalists the purpose of Creation is to enable us to receive the ultimate and maximum pleasure. This may surprise us and our visceral response to this is to incredulously shout, “That’s absurd, it can’t be!” How can we say that the purpose of Creation is pleasure when we see a world that in no way guarantees pleasure for all? How can there be suffering, difficulties and death at the end of the road if the purpose of life is pleasure? And what about those of us who are not experiencing pleasure? Are we created for no purpose?