Home Shalom promotes healthy relationships and facilitates the creation of judgement free, safe spaces in the Jewish community. Home Shalom is a program of The Advot Project.
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“Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except the fear of Heaven.” Talmud Niddah 16b
There are many stories throughout ancient Rabbinic literature about conversations between God and the angels concerning the nature of human beings. According to Jewish tradition, since angels and human mortals are so fundamentally different, the angels are constantly trying to figure out what human beings are truly like and what makes us tick. In one of those Talmudic conversations, the angels approach God with a question concerning the difference between fate, destiny, and free will. The angel in charge of conception (named Lailah which literally means “night” in Hebrew) takes a drop of sperm and places it before the Holy One and says to God, “Master of the Universe, this drop, what will it become? Will it become strong or weak? Will it become wise or stupid? Will it become rich or poor?” And the rabbinic commentary then continues, “But whether it will become righteous or wicked is not asked, for Rabbi Hanina has taught, ‘Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except the fear of Heaven’” (Talmud Niddah 16b).
Our ancient sages recognized that although our physical traits might be inherited from our parents (and even they can be affected by our choices regarding how we treat our bodies), our moral traits, the way we act, the values we live by, the nature of our relationships, whether we treat others with respect and dignity or abuse and hostility, the content of our character itself is totally up to us and the choices we make each day. Especially now, during the challenging times of a world-wide pandemic, having our personal freedom of movement and assembly curtailed, being forced to stay at home often in crowded and uncomfortable settings, every day becomes both a challenge and an opportunity to make choices that allow the better angels of our own nature to flourish and be present in our relationships with family, colleagues, and community.
The very phrase, “Fear of Heaven” is rabbinic language that means taking seriously and accepting the ethical and moral imperatives of Jewish tradition and the values passed down for thousands of years from the sacred writings of the Torah to today regarding how we are to act in the world, treat ourselves and one another. Perhaps if more of us embraced the wisdom of our ancestors and their vision of a world where each of us can see the sacredness and divinity of the other, we could bring about a true messianic age together.
Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben, Home Shalom and Naomi Ackerman, The Advot Project
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