Helpful Heart of Stone
Yechezkel (36) says that G-d will replace our heart of stone with one of flesh. People take that to mean a black and white move from bad to good when Messianic times arrive. The truth is that in regular life you can't function if your heart is vulnerable all the time, sometimes you need it to be hard to be able to move forward and not crumble from the pain you see/sense. In the time of mashiach we'll be able to handle feeling everything and won't need the protection of a hardened heart. - Rav Simcha Wasserman
posted by rabbi neil fleischmann @ 9:32 AM
3 Comments:
I like this thought very much. "Harden not your heart..." (I blogged about that once) - but you are so right that at times, we must defend the softness of our hearts in order to move through crises and tragedies. We are fortunate when we can re-open our hearts to emotion and tenderness. Children who are repeatedly traumatized and/or abused instinctively harden their hearts, often permanently, in order to survive, with sad consequences for themselves and society.
there is a Hebrew song that says "yesh anashim im lev shel even, yesh avanim im lev adam." there are people who have hearts of stone, and there are stones that have the heart of people. of course this is referring to the kotel. the kotel accepts all tears and to me is the epitome of unconditional love. maybe that is why this will be such a busy place in messianic times. it is already there....stones that are hard but really so so soft. karev yom asher hu lo yom vlo laylah...
I was gratified by these thoughtful, welcome comments.
Anne - I just read that post and it resonated for me big time.
I'm definitely more for a soft heart than a hard one. Yet, there always needs to be balance. One of the kindest men who ever lived (learn a bit about him here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0XuhOVEJS0) said that if you can't say no to others you can't say no to yourself... He's agree that saying yes is better most of the time.
RR - in that song hearts of stone is being used conventionally, but I like Rav Simcha Wasserman's twist on it... I think you're right the heart of man that the Kotel has is the right combo - seemingly hard but eternally soft.
Regarding the Kotel, don't get me started. The other night I heard Rabbi Berel Wein speak. He said tha he's not a Kabbalist but when he walks the streets of Jerusalem he feels like he has been their before.
Post a Comment
<< Home