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In Pursuit of Wisdom – By Rabbi Pinchas Winston
PERSONALLY. I AM completely fascinated by the idea of knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is so empowering, and wisdom is so enlivening. Most people don’t get too excited about either, mostly because knowledge is so accessible, they don’t realize how valuable it is, and they probably think they already know enough.
When it comes to money, the opposite is usually true. The same people almost never think they have enough. If there is a way to get more money, they’re interested. The wisest man to have ever lived, Shlomo HaMelech, knew this and therefore wrote:
If you want it as you do silver, and search after it like buried treasures, then you will understand fear of God—Da’as Elokim you will find. (Mishlei 2:4-5)
Da’as Elokim is literally godly knowledge, but that is just another term for wisdom. That is what wisdom is, which off-the-bat creates a dilemma for anyone who doesn’t like God or religion. They value wisdom, but not religion. They want to be wise, but not religious. They’d like to believe that wisdom can be secular too, have nothing to do with God. How’s that working out for them so far?
But that’s like saying, “I want a glass of water, but without Hydrogen atoms,” or, “I like fire, but without the heat.” God is an inseparable part of wisdom, and you can’t have one without the other. As every truly wise person knows, it’s just the way the world was made. The sooner a person learns this, the sooner they can become wise.
But what about all those seemingly wise people out there who don’t seem to be religious?
First, are the truly wise? Second, if they are, then more than likely they are connecting to God. They may not know it, but the very fact that they have a wise approach to life means they have a godly approach to life. It’s usually just a matter of time before they realize this and begin to consciously connect to God…and really become wise.
It’s also a matter of loving wisdom more than fearing its religious implications. But here’s the thing. As a person becomes wiser they learn to appreciate the wisdom in living by Torah. They don’t become religious per se. They become wiser, and their newfound wisdom tells them to do mitzvos because it is the wise thing to do. The wisdom itself reveals how God’s commandments are not inhibiting, but empowering.
It’s a hard sale to someone who has yet to see this for themself. For the person who fears Torah life more than they love wisdom, it is hard to imagine that they would love the change if they would only get started. They will claim to be happy with their portion already and have no need to go after a higher quality of life.
No wonder that after 5700 years, mankind still gropes in the dark.
