Are We Just Takers? Deep Secrets of Creation

The most unbelievable moment in the history of moments is the first moment. Because think about it, once God created the concept of time, so every moment after that is just a repeat. It's been done. But that first moment was incredible. It was a miracle as much as we could actually try to train ourselves to to understand and think that that every moment is a miracle. But listen, there's nothing like the first miracle. And so that first moment was super miraculous. And every moment is a continued miracle. So let's try to do something that might be a bit scary and let's think about before that. Now there's a trick. Now if I would have slipped up and said let's think about the moments before that. There's no moment. So there is no moment before that. So the question is first of all what do we define before that and how do we talk about it? You know before what? After what? So before that first moment of time, there was no time. Now what else was was there not? Well, I'll tell you what there was. I mean, there's one thing that was before before God created time. There is only one thing that that existed before God created time, and that is God. God is above time. And let's not convince ourselves that he's so big that he can't squeeze into time. God is above time. God is in time. God God is everything. God is infinite. And guess what? God is also finite. Um, now how that all process works is what's the some of the deepest cabalistic things that we will ever think about and certainly have to study because we're not going to guess it all right. You can guess one or two things, right? But you're not going to guess it all right. Okay? If you're if you're one of those guesser Jews or one of those guesser people that think I can guess everything about reality because I mean reality is like I'm just in tune with reality. What you're basically saying is I want to be my own god and my own king. So, we can't guess our way through life. We have to we have to invest and study and come out with reality. We can create fantasy, but then you're stuck in fantasy land. We want reality. And that requires discipline and and and work and and and intellectual integrity, honesty. And it means looking in the mirror and saying, "I got to lose a few pounds, which I've done. It's not working yet, but I've done that." Anyhow, so that moment before the first moment which is not a moment, there was only God and God decided that he wanted to create time and also create everything that fits within the bubble of time and and and space. Now space doesn't mean only physical space. Space means spiritual space and you'll say that's an oxymoron. What do I mean? Spiritual space. But there is a concept of spiritual space. But spiritual space takes up no space. Wow, this is sounding very interesting. Mayor Morgan Stern, he is perhaps one of the greatest all-around Torah scholars alive today. He's considered like a kidic rebi and he is a makubal, a cabalist. He prays according to the kavas of kabala. He's famous and unique and we're fortunate people who live in Israel. In fact, in Jerusalem, I I'm close enough to walk to his and watch him pray from his sitter with all of the coverat of the Arizal and the rash. Anyway, he he he he explains it like this. Before anything existed, there was only God on the level of his essence, meaning God's essence as his essence is onto himself. And then somewhere in that reality, the ultimate and only true reality, God's essence as it is to itself, God decided that he wants a world. And when he decided he wanted a world, it comes together with also time. And it all starts on the level of spiritual worlds and spiritual time. Don't tell this to a philosophy guy. He might get confused which no obviously you know human intellect only goes so far. We have to accept and receive divine intellect if we want to go where we're going today. And so that's a process that begun. Now one of the the most important components to this process that started was the beginning of something unbelievable which is really the essential foundation of all of life and all of existence. So after we get past the fancy cabala talk I hope you were impressed with all my terminology and now you understand I have my my my rabbitic ordination. I can talk about the deepest things that exist and even before they existed. So now you listen when God created he did one thing and the foundation of what he actually did and chose to do because he wanted to do it is to become a giver. Now before God started creating he was maybe he had this essential component of giving. The cababalists call it the nature to give. God had this nature to give. But don't be fooled and think that it was that he was forced to create and give because his a person's forced to behave the way he's naturally, you know, um disposed to behave. God chose a absolute free choice. It wasn't necessary. He could have not done it. And in fact, we all know that this entire world we're in, ourselves included, could not have ever been created and God would not be any different. And even after we're created, God is no different. And so he but he decided, he chose to create us. And the the cabalists talk about this nature of good and really the foundation of creation obviously as it applies to creation. We said that God has this good nature but above creation. So he God's above this good nature. I mean he's not controlled by his nature. He controls and creates that nature to be good because he chose freely to be good and to do good. And so the beginning of creation begins with a a decision higher than intellect. Even God's intellect is also not the highest. It's there's God's desire God's ratson is where it is where this idea of creation comes from. He desired to create and ultimately that means he desired to bestow his goodness upon the world namely mankind and specifically of course through the Jewish nation that has a central role in this. So now here's the problem. God decided let me just everybody. All right. >> So now that God decided to give, so what did he essentially do? He created giving. Now once you create the concept of giving, what do you need? You need two components to have or three components to have this giving concept really work. What do you need? You need a >> giver. You need a >> receiver. Receiver. Excellent. You want to You want to come sit here? You need a giver. Thank you very much. Let's Who are you? this this genius. >> Well, now now I'm wondering what the third one is. >> Well, this should be self-explanatory. So, I don't want to embarrass you, but uh the third one is what to give. >> So, if if all here's the catch though, it's not everything's not everything. So, if God's the only thing that really exists and God decided to give, so what's God giving? God's giving God. And that's deep. >> God is what does that even mean? God is giving God. >> I don't know if I know what it means, but it means something. And in the end of the day, God is really decided he wants to give himself. Okay. So, how do we get to bagels, locks, and cream cheese, and rugal? That's that's it's an amazing question which we we'll have to address at some point. >> Wait, what did he say in God gives? I need to write this down. >> We'll start again. In order to have this whole giving thing that God decided he wanted, so you have to have a giver, a receiver, and what to give. Now if God's the only thing that really exists, so then what is God giving? So he's giving he's giving himself so to speak. Um anything else doesn't exist. So how can he give it? And uh but but yeah, God is man caused to be manifest many great things like like like uh locks and cream cheese with bagels and rugalook and um I dare to say a cheeseburger, but I will if if the cheese is is is par, you know, or the meat is parv however you want to make it. par of cheeseburger then cheeseburgers any delight you want to imagine of course comes from God ultimately but it's many many many levels down from his essence to say the least so back to where we were God created a receiver and who or what is this receiver >> us >> us human beings really all of creation is the receiver but we are the only conscious receivers so we're going to define us as the receivers because we're conscious of receiving this so God had to create receivers. Now, what's a not so classy, not so dignified way to identify a receiver? >> Right? Well, a woman is feminine, which is the receiver feminine. >> Fine. That's also true. >> In this context, we're all feminine. >> Yeah. >> Right. So, let's all of us start to get in touch with our feminine side. >> Yeah. >> So, we're all feminine. Now, what that means is something real. We all have a feminine side to us because feminine and masculinity is mixed but because we we have to be receivers but we also are sometimes givers when we're jumping in this class. But let's go back to the point. God created receivers which which one of the students is is is learning well and he knows that that the female side is this receiver side and the male side is the giver side. But beyond that, we're all receivers in this context. And another way to refer to a receiver is a ani. An ani in Hebrew means a poor person. Someone who's empty. Because if your cup is all full, like the famous expression, then what can you receive? Nothing. So you have to have a level of emptiness to be able to receive. Okay, that's one of the ideas. So so you're you're lacking. To be a receiver, you have to be lacking to receive. If you're full, you can't really receive unless you're going to receive in a overly abundant way which is going to go to waste which will not be productive and positive. So the the receiving has to be good. So it means we have to have uh what to receive a a place and a space to fill that's void. There's another way to define a receiver in also in not such an ideal way not a compliment is a taker. A taker. So in order for God to be a giver he had to have takers. He had to have receivers and that's us. So essentially what I'm pointing at is going to be very clear from a garum that I am about to get to is that we're flawed in essence. In essence, we're flawed because if the idea of being a giver is so awesome because it's godlike and we're the opposite. We're we're receivers. So what hope do we have of ever being awesome? That's my question. Now, now before we continue in the next slam, we're going to just clarify. So what happens is this. We have God that is an absolute giver. God doesn't receive. God gives. And we have mankind that receive and cannot give. Because if we live in a world with only God, so who and what are we going to give to? We can't give God anything because God is everything already. So we are givers and God I'm sorry. So we're receivers and God's the giver. So we take and he gives. That's the relationship that we have in order to get things started. The problem with that relationship is this. The Gomorrah speaks about creation and asks why was mankind the last thing in creation? Why was Adam created last after everything else in all of existence? Why? And so the sage is very wise and very keen in their deep understanding of all of Cabala in all of existence says, you know why? Because the knat in English is called the nat in Hebrew it's the yatush because the yatush which is a gnat. >> What's a gnat? >> A nat is >> little tiny thing. >> Oh, okay. >> Is is is is uh because the gnat came before us. God created the gnat before us. So we come after the gnat. That's the specific point here that we come after the gnat which means that the gnat has a higher level than us in the creative process. Now obviously it's a very tiny small nothing of a creature like an ant like a like a fly like a lot of creatures out there like there's so many small creatures so one must beg the question is this why did the rabbis choose the gnat of all tiny nothing types of creatures all of the insignificant tiny things in the world he Davka specifically picked the net he could have said the ant he could have said the fly a lot of So for that we're going to go to another uh passage in the Talmud talking about Tetus the very wicked Roman emperor that or or general that came and and and really destroyed you and uh the temple. So what what do we see there when Titus was coming back home with the spoils of of war and uh and and and and thought he he he basically beat Hashem. He actually thought he killed God when he when he stabbed the the the curtain between the holy and the holy of holies and he and blood came out. He thought he killed God. In the end of the day as he's going home, God made a storm in the in the ocean because he was maybe thinking to kill him. And Tetus in his ignorance and idiotic starts yelling at Hashem, "Oh, you can only fight me in on the ocean like you did to the Egyptians. Fight me. Fight me when I get home and see what I do with and see what I do to you." I can just imagine if you want to get someone to play the role of of Tetus on that boat, me coming from Brooklyn, I have a few options, but I think my favorite option to bring out how ridiculous this is would be Joe Peshi. You got to get Joe Peshy on that boat, 5 foot, 5 foot, whatever he is, maybe shorter than me, I assume, but five foot whatever, you know, with a bunch of Roman guards that are like seven foot tall just pointing at Chamay with his Joe Peshy face like from one of those mafia. But wait, you wait till we get to to my turf, my territory, and let's see what I do with you, God. Like, give me a break. So, that's Tetus really like a like like a Joe Peshy, but but but he wasn't joking. He wasn't acting. So, God's answer to Tetus is this. You you you think that that that I I can't deal with you. I tell you what, forget about me, God Almighty. Forget about anything I created in this world that's that's hard to handle. I'm gonna send you the most insignificant creature in my kingdom. The lowest of the lowest nothing of nothings in my kingdom. I'm going to send him to you or it to you and let's see how you can handle it. And what creature did God send? >> A gnat. >> Did it like go into his brain and stuff like that? >> Yes, you're very good. It ends up going through his nose into his brain. Um and and he suffered a lot until he died. So, so now the rabbis are very keen and very deep thinkers. And there's one thing that bothers the rabbis from this story. They're they're not they're bothered by one thing. Why is God calling something he created insignificant and basically like nothing? We know that God is great and God created big things because great people and big gods can create big things. For example, mountains, heaven, the entire firmament, the skies, the ocean. A great God can create great things. But you know what? Perhaps one can argue an even greater God can create tiny things. The intricacy of this gnat in that it actually has organisms and multiple organisms within that function in a unity that create this gnat that can live and and fly and eat. Is that not amazing? Does that not point to the unbelievable greatness, the almost infinite greatness of God to create an act? >> You can't create robots that small. >> Right. Right. So, so and and in fact, we see by Egypt when God created the the lice. So, the the necromancers, the sorcerers, they couldn't duplicate. They couldn't create something that small. So, we see there's some type of unbelievable greatness in God creating something even small. So, it comes out this way. The smaller it is, the greater it expresses that power of God to create. So why is he calling it a nothing creature? An insignificant nothing of a creature. >> Insignificant to Titus maybe. >> Uh no, >> it was very significant because it killed him. So but but let's let's continue with the thought. You have a thought? >> I say maybe because even just because something so small doesn't mean it's insignificant. Something so small can become something so great awesome. >> Okay. That's exactly the question I'm trying to ask in that the rabbis are keen and they notice that when God described who he's sending to to deal with he said I'm sending you the lowest most insignificant nothing creature in my world and they want to know why is God calling his creature a nothing that's a fabulous unbelievable creation of God it's it's it's an everything creature not a nothing creature and so they want to know what what's not why what makes it so insignificant so small and insignificant >> so one could say size the rabbis actually answered differently The l the language in the garra is bria kala which means a very insignificant creature. It also is small and it's tiny but but there are other tiny creatures. So the gar's answer is this. It's insignificant because biologically and again interestingly enough probably if you'll test it today it's not factual with the telescopes and in the in the the um what's the word I want for these instruments to to analyze how this mat exists. But in the days of the sages, it appeared to the human eye and and that's a a form of judgment. And the rabbis speak based on what the human eye was able to see back then. And with the best ability that they had to see back then, it appears to us that the gnat eats but doesn't go to the bathroom. And that's what it means on a basic level that the nat takes in. It's mach it takes in and it's not moi meaning and it doesn't give out excrement. Now, scientifically, you'll check and it probably does go to the bathroom. And that's not an issue with with what the sages are talking about because what the sages are talking about is that from the human eye perspective, it doesn't give give or take. And really from the divine perspective of God and the lesson that he wants to use the nat to teach us. So, it doesn't really matter if it goes to the bathroom or not. But the point is this and and it's like this. The gnat represents a being, a creation of Hashem that only takes and doesn't give back. It represents a taker. And that's its insignificantness because that's why it's insignificant because to be a taker and not to give back is the most selfish and one-sided type of me creature that can exist. Now the the the man is not flawed in its makeup because that's how God made it. But God is teaching us that that type of creature is the lowest most insignificant creature that can exist. Now is where our big problem comes in because when God said I want to give and he created human beings to give to. So what did he create? He created a human being to be an empty taker. So essentially the the NAT and human being have a lot in common. And that's what the Garra is trying to point to us. You know, don't think you're so great human beings. You're even lower than the because the knat comes before you in creation. Now what's the correlation between a human being and a gnat? We're both created by God to be takers. However, there's one difference with a human being. A human being is also created with this divine mission in life, this potential to be godlike, to copy God and to be like God. So how can a mankind, how can human being a Jew be a giver and not a taker is he has to learn how to of course receive from God. But he also has to learn how to give to the other people and situations around him. Now when a human being comes into this world and only is a taker only a taker. So then he is the worst thing in the world because he was created with this double role. He is meant to be a receiver of course but then has to learn from the fact that God is giving to him and then now emulate that towards others. When he is able to give in whichever way he can, he's meant to also be a giver like God because there's a commandment in the Bible to be like God, to emulate God. So that's why a human being becomes the worst thing in existence if he remains like the gnat. Meaning the point is this. Both you and the nat were created to be takers. If you remain no different than the nat, just an overgrown net, it's only a taker. So you're worse than the nat for two reasons. Number one, the net was created to be this without free choice. You have free choice. Second of all, you even have a mitzvah, a commandment, and you've been encouraged and told by God that he wants you to behave like him, which means to learn how to be a giver. And so once you learn how to be a giver, so then you are not only better than that, you become the purpose of creation. And now we have a flip story to why you were created last. When you emulate God and fulfill your true purpose in creation to become godlike, then we say you were created last because everything in the world was created for you and you were meant to be master and almost a god-like figure over the entire world and all of the universes and all of the spiritual worlds and so we are first or last depending on us. But the point I wanted to bring out is the correlation to this nat and being a taker. So now we understand God made him as a giver and us as a taker and when we emulate God in being also givers so we rise to the to the full level of what he meant us to be. This is very important because we are coming to rash shana a new year and we relive the whole creative process. We're going to be recreated again a new and we have to know that yesterday is yesterday and tomorrow is has yet to have yet to be and we have to create our own selves in this tomorrow that's coming and now is the time to prepare. If we don't make ourselves givers again now in this new year coming then we have the same blemish and label of this big overgrown spoiled selfish brat nat that we potentially can be and we have to overcome that and become givers and that's what it says in the verse that the entire world was created for one thing and one thing only that we should do kindness with one another and unite and build and bring this world back to Hashem as one, as givers. And ultimately, what can we give God? Because we have this unbelievable blemish. Now, we were created to be takers by God. God gives us and we can't give God nothing. So, we're stuck because in the end of it all, even though I could be a giver towards people around me, but I can't give God anything. So, at the end of the day, when I face God in the end of it all and I look back at my maker, so I'm just a taker and not a giver. So let me tell you what you could give God. There's one thing you could give God which is a whole another class. But we're going to give the oneliner now and to be continued. We can give him back this world because we've taken it from him. The wicked people around us and our confused selfish state of being right now. It's our world and there we left no room for God. We don't follow his ways and we have left no room for him in this world. He's gone. He's been kicked out of his own home. And so what can we give God? We can align with God's true desires of what he wants for us and from us and we can give him back this world. And that is an unbelievable thing because then we can become givers as well to God Almighty. And you'll say, "How can we do that? He's infinite. He doesn't need. He can't receive." God's bigger than that. God is big enough and infinite enough that he knows how to take what we have to give him and want to give him. Obviously, it's not a human giving and it's not a human need. It's obviously a perfect idea that God said, "I want you to be able to look me in the eye in the world to come and and we should dwell together in absolute unity. You shouldn't be in a world that I just gave you. You should be in a world that you worked for yourselves." And so, we become partners in creation. And that's how we can give back to God by providing him with a world that the two of us can share together. And he didn't need it. He's okay without it. He created the need and desire in order for us to fulfill it and be able to say on whatever limited sense that yes, we came here to do something for God. Because if not, we're just this overgrown gnat that can never look him in the eye. And God certainly wants to look at us, his children, in the eye. He wants us to love him and him to love us. And love in Hebrew means give. And if we can't give to each other, then we can never really love each other. And so the real privilege of creation is for God to give us. And for us to also give back to God. That's the pure love that brings us into the oneness of the special world to come that is coming. And that's the miracle that we can give God something. It's a miracle that Hashem made for us ultimately.