Of God and Man
砖诪讜转 专讘讛 (讜讬诇谞讗) 驻专砖讛 讻讞
讘讗 讜专讗讛 砖讗讬谉 诪讚讜转讬讜 砖诇 讛拽讘”讛 讻诪讚转 讘砖专 讜讚诐, 诪诇讱 讘砖专 讜讚诐 讗讬谞讜 讬讻讜诇 诇讛讬讜转 注讜砖讛 诪诇讞诪讛 讜诇讛讬讜转 住讜驻专 讜诪诇诪讚 转讬谞讜拽讜转, 讜讛拽讘”讛 讗讬谞谞讜 讻谉 讗转诪讜诇 讘讬诐 讻注讜砖讛 诪诇讞诪讛 砖谞讗诪专 (砖诪讜转 讟讜) 讛’ 讗讬砖 诪诇讞诪讛 讜讗讜诪专 (讗讬讜讘 讻讜) 讘讻讞讜 专讙注 讛讬诐, 讜讛讬讜诐 讘诪转谉 转讜专讛 讬专讚 诇诇诪讚 转讜专讛 诇讘谞讬讜, 讜讻讛”讗 (砖诐 /讗讬讜讘/ 诇讜) 讛谉 讗诇 讬砖讙讬讘 讘讻讞讜 诪讬 讻诪讜讛讜 诪讜专讛, 讛讜讬 讜讬讚讘专 讗诇讛讬诐 讗转 讻诇 讛讚讘专讬诐 讛讗诇讛
When I was little, my best friend and I shared a favorite game of Barbie dolls. We pretended they were rock stars, fashion models, pediatricians, veterinarians, and mothers (of six, in a nod to The Brady Bunch) who, of course, looked like Barbie and were happily married to Ken.
As grown-ups, we discover we have only one life to live. Some are luckier than others in being able to shape fulfilling careers or having those six kids that were always wanted; and a few get to morph themselves once or twice over a lifetime, a la President Ronald Reagan or George Forman. The ways of God, who can do everything and its opposite at once, are not the ways of men.
And yet鈥攚e are created b’tzelem elohim, in God’s image. We strive to be like God, although we are merely mortal. We look to the King Davids of history and see that although we cannot do every single thing and its opposite at once, some people are poets and kings, warriors and musicians. Whether in our professional or personal lives, we struggle with competing interests and yearn, especially in 2011 America, for that elusive goal of balance, sh’lemut. The message of this midrash is that we must strive for such a balance with the knowledge that we are merely mortal, that we live in time and in space and that we must be patient with ourselves; that while God is perfect and has it all, even King David had his faults and limitations.
