THE PAINTER’S SOUL IN HIS BRUSH
In this week’s Parsha, Vayeira, we find the degree of love that Avraham had for HaKadosh baruch Hu. When instructed by HaShem to bring his son as an offering, Avraham woke up early and saddled his donkey by himself. This is equivalent to the President of the United States going out to fill his limousine with gas. Avraham was a world class statesman who won the respect of all dignitaries in the world. He was the greatest warrior on Planet Earth. He was among the richest people living in his time. Why did he do it himself? Our Sages teach us that his love for HaKadosh baruch Hu was so great that he wanted to be involved in every step of the journey. It is no wonder that Avraham is called by HaShem Avraham, My beloved.
How does one come to love HaKadosh baruch Hu? Rambam gives us simple directions as follows.
“The first step is to know that there is a Being that is the source of all existence. This Being is HaKadosh baruch Hu. One must have the knowledge that there is no other being that exists outside of Him. All the powers we know of are nothing but creations and creatures of HaKadosh baruch Hu. All of life and all of the world that we know is but an expression of His Will. After accomplishing the first step, one must then contemplate the greatness of His deeds and the wonders of the world and realize how HaKadosh baruch Hu’s wisdom is infinite beyond any the reach of human comprehension. Once one does this, he will immediately love HaShem.”
Why does Rambam require step two to achieve love of HaShem. Once man recognizes that all of existence is but the expression of His Will, this means that Man him-self owes his very life, his very existence and the existence of everything in his life, to HaShem. Is that not enough to feel love for HaShem? Can there be a greater attachment than that of the creature to his Creator?
I discovered the answer when a young lady who was involved in AA’s 12 Step Program brought the following question to me. Step 11 of the 12 Step Program is to seek contact with HaShem through prayer and meditation.
She needed clarity how she can pray to a Being that is purely abstract. How can she contemplate contact with someone that exists in idea form alone. She asked if Judaism has some type of icon of HaShem to whom she can pray and meditate? Of course, I told her that we do not have any such thing at all. We both struggled to find a solution for her.
She found her answer when I suggested that she find a scene in nature that inspires her. Whether it be a star filled sky, a view from a mountain top or maybe a view of the ocean. Although you cannot physically meet the painter of an inspiring painting you can nevertheless grow an appreciation for him through your appreciation of his painting. As one great man once said, Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.
HaShem too, places His signature in everything He created.
Perhaps Rambam understood this young lady’s difficulty and recognized that knowing HaKadosh baruch Hu and recognizing that He is the source of all existence is not sufficient to develop a love of Him. We, physical creatures, cannot relate to the ab-stract. Therefore Rambam tells us that as soon as we contemplate the greatness of His deeds and the wonders of His creation we will immediately love Him. Namely, once we will experience His greatness in the same way that one experiences an en-counter with the painter when contemplating his artwork, then we can begin to love Him. We will be able to take what know in abstract form and convert it to experiential form. We will then naturally love Him immediately. .
All those reading this Parsha thought are direct descendants of our great father, Avraham. The legacy he left for us, his children, is the ability to recognize Hashem and His greatness. We need only to contemplate the wonders of His works and we too can tap into that love of HaKadosh baruch Hu.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind