Q&A: The Rabbi’s Approach to the Other Greens
The Rabbi’s Approach to the Other Greens
Question
Hello, honored Rabbi!
In the Rabbi’s column about the song “Even Better,” the Rabbi spoke somewhat mockingly about identifying with the song “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me,” and things like that.
My main question is: after all, not all of the Jewish people can be like the Rabbi and many who follow his path (and the path of Maimonides), which is a path of intellectual understanding and inquiry. A great many among the Jewish people are not exactly geniuses; specifically the song “My God, my God” uplifts their spirits and brings them closer to the service of God. Like the idea behind the Ben Ish Chai’s parable about the story of “both these and those are burned in the ash heap,” there is not only one way to serve the Holy One, blessed be He, so why should we belittle the path of others?
Answer
I wasn’t belittling; I was showing that when people sing, they don’t think about the words. And so too in our case with that song. On the contrary, it was a defense, not a criticism. And this has nothing at all to do with genius, but with paying attention.