Thursday, July 3, 2014

The Difference between Coals and Gold Coins (Part 3 Unifications Chapter 5 Ch. 10 in DM)

But  through the mind is the light of the soul drawn down and expressed in feelings [or desires] to refine and improve them...to desire grand things that it is worthwhile to pursue and to dislike things that are not fitting, although from feelings alone he may have desired them. Therefore the child whose mind is childish desires childish things and when he matures he is disgusted with these things and desires what is fitting - to love G-d and to serve Him...

One's ambition in life is based on the maturity of one's intellect. When we're small we want small things. The one thing we want is very small. When we grow up so the wishes get bigger. But if we don't grow then they stay small. This is all about expanding our horizons. Whoever has small kids can see how their wishes develop based on their cognizance of greater things for which they can hope.

There's the ancient story [from the Midrash] that when Moses was a small child in Pharao's palace he grabbed the Egyptian monarch's crown and put it on his head. The king's advisors were shocked and  suggested that they test the child to see if the gesture was meaningful or if he was just playing. So they placed in front of little Moses a pile of whispering coals and a pile of gold coins. If he chooses the coals it means his preferences is in general for colorful shiny objects but if he chooses the coins it means he has cognizance of more adult preferences. Moses reached for the plate of gold coins an angel came and pushed his hand towards the plate of whispering coals...

In order for a child to understand more adult objects it takes time. But sometimes the development gets arrested and then they get stuck with their childish wishes. There are mentally challenged kids that I cannot teach how to use money. He wants his immediate wants filled and doesn't understand the value of money in and of itself. Most kids, though, come to realize the intrinsic value of money and then they become fixated with that level of desire. They overcame the level of understanding of a three-year old and reached the understanding of a five and half year old but then they stay there...

The driving force behind emotional development is mental development. This is why Chabad chassidus emphasizes first and foremost the learning of chassidus, the deeper ideas behind Jewish life as a driving force for coming to Love and Serve G-d properly.

(The text in italics are the words of Derech Mitzvosecha by the third Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek. The bolded words are Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz's commentary as heard on his shiurim on hashefa.co.il. The rest is my commentary. All rights reserved to Rabbi Steinsaltz. Pictures courtesy of Moshe Schlass.)

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