What was I looking for?
Last Sat. evening Temple Emanuel presented a panel of three distinguish writers.
Each wrote a book about a perplexing figure:
King David.
I was looking for something that can move me and illuminate the complexity of the situation.
I wish we could go a bit deeper when we reached and shared the most interesting observation; David with all the necessary and unnecessary blood he shedded, UN-qualifying himself to be the builder of a Temple that God is able to dwell in, still is loved and chosen to be a leader. Rabbi Wolpe even admits that while writing about David the King, the murderer, the poet, the musician, the dancer, the one who does not know how to love women, the one who does not trust God to be given what was meant to be for him, impatient, a careless father, etc still Rabbi David Wolpe himself ends up falling in love with biblical David. I was interested in this aspect – the aspect of the Rabbi’s emotional experience which rises against all odds. An experience which can help both Davids become more whole human beings, redeeming their life stories; maybe seeing women differently, relating to the feminine aspects in themselves, trusting and following the Divine/ Higher Selves in new ways. Perhaps standing before the unknown with new questions and pondering. Standing before God in a more developed way, a more holistic way.
Why should biblical David carry the seeds for the Messiah to be.
What can be more elevating for me as a seeker of truth, is to see how David cares for the land while King Salomon cares for building of the Temple. This is all a tapestry of pieces that come together to show how this people come together as a nation and also get dispersed in order to spread what they carry. Either as a member of the 10 ‘lost’ tribes, or as an expelled Jew or as one of the children of Salomon’s 1000 wives.
All these possibilities are reassuring one important part of the Divine plan, that seeds of this new consciousness brought by Moses will be grounded here on earth and help prepare for a collective expansion of this consciousness. David the King and the poet, with both his coldness, self centeredness and devotion to God, is here to establish part of this vision.
We had to acknowledge that when God says in Torah, why do you need a King? Am I not a good enough of a king for you? Why to imitate and follow other nations, God actually shows that any human being will fail taking ‘His’ place – no one is suitable for the job- no one has 13 measures of compassion. The eyes need to be lifted up for help.”I will lift up my eyes, where my help will come from?” (Psalms).
אשא עיני אל ההרים מאין יבוא עזרי
It is not easy but this is the message. Otherwise indeed, things do not make any sense. We are perplexed and I hear people wanting to change this weird God who chooses strange people to build a house that the Messiah, no less, will come from.
Perhaps my dissatisfaction with the visions of the speakers led me to find something; a direction that opens up the way to be more deeply touched and to increase the understanding of my place in this picture in our times. If so, it was a blessing.