Turning the Other Cheek
Gemarah Shabbos 88B "Those who get insulted but do not respond by insulting back, Those who hear people ridiculing them but do not respond, they serve God with love and are made happy with their suffering. Upon them the Torah states "As the sun rises with all its strength.""
This Chazal is often quoted to show the greatness of turning the other cheek. The problem is that upon further analysis this Chazal requires further explanation. What does serving God with love have to do with not responding to an insult? Furthermore what does being happy with suffering have to do with the whole topic?
This short maxim is a prime example of how Chazal will describe an ideal together with the roadmap as to how to attain that ideal. We all know that Jesus Christ says to turn the other cheek. However, turning the other cheek goes against all fundementals of human nature thereby making it almost impossible for the vast majority of humans to practice it on a regular basis. How does one build this behavior into his/her everyday life?
The answer lies in the words of this Chazal. The only way to ignore an insult is to appreciate the source of the insult. One who believes in God realizes that God is the source of all that happens to him in his life. Therefore he must realize that the person who caused him the hurt was just a messenger similar to the way the negative commandment of revenge is explained. So if you believe in God and therefore are happy when God sends you a message in an innocuous way by having you insulted you will feel no inclination to respond to the insult. It would actually seem ludicrous because the insulter is playing a very minor role in the message. It is between you and God not between you and the insulter. Moreso if you can rejoice in your suffering which is a higher level of serving God and understanding his ways. Rejoicing in suffering can only be accomplished by someone that serves God out of love not out of fear. Someone that knows that God loves him and would never do anything to hurt him. The more one realizes this the more one has to thank the insulter for sending him a message from God. This is truly what Chazal is telling us.
This Chazal is often quoted to show the greatness of turning the other cheek. The problem is that upon further analysis this Chazal requires further explanation. What does serving God with love have to do with not responding to an insult? Furthermore what does being happy with suffering have to do with the whole topic?
This short maxim is a prime example of how Chazal will describe an ideal together with the roadmap as to how to attain that ideal. We all know that Jesus Christ says to turn the other cheek. However, turning the other cheek goes against all fundementals of human nature thereby making it almost impossible for the vast majority of humans to practice it on a regular basis. How does one build this behavior into his/her everyday life?
The answer lies in the words of this Chazal. The only way to ignore an insult is to appreciate the source of the insult. One who believes in God realizes that God is the source of all that happens to him in his life. Therefore he must realize that the person who caused him the hurt was just a messenger similar to the way the negative commandment of revenge is explained. So if you believe in God and therefore are happy when God sends you a message in an innocuous way by having you insulted you will feel no inclination to respond to the insult. It would actually seem ludicrous because the insulter is playing a very minor role in the message. It is between you and God not between you and the insulter. Moreso if you can rejoice in your suffering which is a higher level of serving God and understanding his ways. Rejoicing in suffering can only be accomplished by someone that serves God out of love not out of fear. Someone that knows that God loves him and would never do anything to hurt him. The more one realizes this the more one has to thank the insulter for sending him a message from God. This is truly what Chazal is telling us.
posted by funnyfundamentalist at 8:16 PM
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