In Rav Avigdor Miller's dvar Torah for Parshas Lech Lecha 5 – Covenant of Connection, we hear about the well-known human drive toward innovation & creativity.
Hashem imbued human beings with this.
A beaver can only ever make a dam.
Like this:
Hashem imbued human beings with this.
A beaver can only ever make a dam.
Like this:
And it can't even make a dam of bricks or pebbles.
It can certainly never make a snow hotel (even on a snowy day) to entertain other beavers for parnassa, thereby increasing the beaver's standard of living.
A beaver cannot make a nest in a tree or live in a cave.
That's just one example.
So we see this drive to express creativity exists as a uniquely human aspect, emanating from the human soul.
It can certainly never make a snow hotel (even on a snowy day) to entertain other beavers for parnassa, thereby increasing the beaver's standard of living.
A beaver cannot make a nest in a tree or live in a cave.
That's just one example.
So we see this drive to express creativity exists as a uniquely human aspect, emanating from the human soul.
A snow hotel in Norway....a no-can-do for Beavers
The Purpose of Human Creativity
This explains why, says Rav Miller, people enjoy immersing themselves in creative activities & hobbies, even thought they could buy a ready-made cake, latch-hook rug, cabinet, or airplane model.
Instead, people like to engage in such activities (and many more) themselves.
It all comes from the human urge to create.
This urge or instinct derives from Hashem, Who was the First Creator.
When He blew his breath into Adam, He imbued the human being with His own qualities.
Creativity is one of them.
And the Torah name for this is tikkun—repair, rectification, improvement.
While Rav Miller acknowledges the deeper meaning—fixing one's character or spiritual aspects of oneself & the world—here, the rav focuses on the basic meaning on tikkun.
And Rav Miller sets us straight about it on pages 6 & 7:
Instead, people like to engage in such activities (and many more) themselves.
It all comes from the human urge to create.
This urge or instinct derives from Hashem, Who was the First Creator.
When He blew his breath into Adam, He imbued the human being with His own qualities.
Creativity is one of them.
And the Torah name for this is tikkun—repair, rectification, improvement.
While Rav Miller acknowledges the deeper meaning—fixing one's character or spiritual aspects of oneself & the world—here, the rav focuses on the basic meaning on tikkun.
And Rav Miller sets us straight about it on pages 6 & 7:
And so if your husband wants to build a bookcase to accentuate his Shas, very good.
He should buy an expensive Shas and build a beautiful bookcase and let the seforim stand beautifully on the shelves that he built with his own hands.
It will lend an aura of Torah to your home. Excellent!
And when your wife bakes challah, that’s also a wonderful thing; that’s using her creative instinct for a wonderful purpose. On Shabbos, when she puts those lechem haponim, the Showbread, on the table the whole family should admire the golden challos.
However, we understand that we are not created for the purpose of chopping forests and making bookcases; we weren’t created for the purpose of turning flour and sugar and margarine into fancy cakes.
Because no matter what, you have to know what is the most important creation.
You!
That’s part of the job. It’s not your only job in this world, but it’s part of the job!
And actually it’s the most important.
***
These are the children of Noach, Noach. [Beresheit 6:9]
It means the first and the best child of Noach was Noach himself.
That’s your most important job in this world, to create yourself; to fix yourself.
The Tonsils & the Appendix
Nothing in the human body is extraneous.
God doesn't do that.
We see that we don't find extraneous parts in our cars — and those are very simple creations (compared to a human being) & made by the best humankind has to offer (which is still nothing compared to Hashem's Best).
Sure, scientists continue to insist on all sorts of vestigial organs, but increased research ends up nullifying their nullifications.
For example, when my mom was a girl, everyone got their tonsils taken out. Medical experts could see no reason for tonsils.
Then they discovered tonsils do a great job at fighting infection.
Needless to say, tonsils occasionally still need to be removed, but only when proven their existence harms the person more than their removal.
Same thing with the appendix.
While the location and danger of an infected appendix still require its removal in many cases, some places aim to first treat an infected appendix with antibiotics.
They discovered the much-snubbed appendix actually serves an important function.
It possibly stores healthy gut bacteria and plays an important role in the development of antibodies.
So Hashem created nothing extraneous.
God doesn't do that.
We see that we don't find extraneous parts in our cars — and those are very simple creations (compared to a human being) & made by the best humankind has to offer (which is still nothing compared to Hashem's Best).
Sure, scientists continue to insist on all sorts of vestigial organs, but increased research ends up nullifying their nullifications.
For example, when my mom was a girl, everyone got their tonsils taken out. Medical experts could see no reason for tonsils.
Then they discovered tonsils do a great job at fighting infection.
Needless to say, tonsils occasionally still need to be removed, but only when proven their existence harms the person more than their removal.
Same thing with the appendix.
While the location and danger of an infected appendix still require its removal in many cases, some places aim to first treat an infected appendix with antibiotics.
They discovered the much-snubbed appendix actually serves an important function.
It possibly stores healthy gut bacteria and plays an important role in the development of antibodies.
So Hashem created nothing extraneous.
The Secret of Brit Milah
Therefore, isn't it intriguing that one of the first commandments upon a baby boy is brit milah—to remove a small part of his body?
Hashem created the human male with a part necessary to remove in order to teach us we are here for tikkun.
When Hashem asked Avraham Avinu to walk before Him and be "tamim" with Hashem, He meant "wholeness."
Hashem meant a person should perfect himself, make himself or herself as complete as possible, as polished as possible—with Hashem.
How do we do that?
Hashem created the human male with a part necessary to remove in order to teach us we are here for tikkun.
When Hashem asked Avraham Avinu to walk before Him and be "tamim" with Hashem, He meant "wholeness."
Hashem meant a person should perfect himself, make himself or herself as complete as possible, as polished as possible—with Hashem.
How do we do that?
The Key to True Greatness
The key is keeping Hashem before us at all times.
Rav Miller repeats the Rambam, who emphasized THAT as the greatness of our Patriarchs & Matriarchs.
Yes, they performed great deeds...AMAZING deeds!
But those deeds results from their great MINDS.
They filled their minds with Hashem every moment of their lives.
And this enabled them to perceive things in a special way, which led them toward acts of greatness.
Rav Miller repeats the Rambam, who emphasized THAT as the greatness of our Patriarchs & Matriarchs.
Yes, they performed great deeds...AMAZING deeds!
But those deeds results from their great MINDS.
They filled their minds with Hashem every moment of their lives.
And this enabled them to perceive things in a special way, which led them toward acts of greatness.
Peaches & the Path to Perfection
Here's Rav Miller on page 12:
I was walking today with a young man, and I saw a peach pit lying on the sidewalk.
I said, “Look at that! A miracle!”
He said, “Where? What is it?”
I pointed at the peach pit but he looked at me blankly.
It means he has a lot of work to do still.
On page 13, Rav Miller details the miracle of the peach pit.
Noticing & examining things like that is one way to keep Hashem in mind & become great.
Another way to develop this is to say, "Hashem is looking at me right now."
Maintain this awareness of Hashem from one bus stop to another or while walking from one utility pole to another.
And Rav Miller assures as that cultivating an awareness of Hashem, of performing this all-important tikkun on ourselves, is the greatest career & greatest accomplishment & greatest kavod we can ever create.
Noticing & examining things like that is one way to keep Hashem in mind & become great.
Another way to develop this is to say, "Hashem is looking at me right now."
Maintain this awareness of Hashem from one bus stop to another or while walking from one utility pole to another.
And Rav Miller assures as that cultivating an awareness of Hashem, of performing this all-important tikkun on ourselves, is the greatest career & greatest accomplishment & greatest kavod we can ever create.
Credit for all quotes & material goes to Toras Avigdor.
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