Discovering a Geologist While Rockin Out to Spark Seaker

“In the earth, there are so many wonderful treasures, and if you know where to dig, you’ll find gold and diamonds, and silver, and all kinds of treasures. But, if you don’t know where to dig all you’ll find is rocks, and dirt. A Rebbe (teacher) is the geologist of the soul. He can show you where to dig, and what to dig for, but the digging you must do yourself. “

Rabbi Zalman on Matisyahu’s “Spark Seaker”

I heard this quote while listening to M’s newish album and, being an analyst, I needed to know who this teacher was. So I dug and found Reb Zalaman and read some things about him, and checked him out on YouTube. Like any other teacher there were things I agreed with and things I disagreed with. One thing he said that really stood out to me was something he said with regards to possibly the most famous line from Parashat Shoftim; “tzedek tzedek tirdof” “Justice, Justice shall you pursue.” There is some famous debate as to why the word Justice is repeated. The most commonly accepeted being that we must not only seek out justice “by any means necessary”, so to speak, but that the method by which we seek justice must also be just.

I kinda like that; however, Reb Zalmans explanation was quite good as well. He said tzedek, tzedek was like a scale in that the justice we pursue must be justice for all involved. He relays a story about a friend who did some work for him who asked “how much should I charge seeing as we are friends?” and his response was “Tzedek, tzedek; it should be righteous for you, it should be righteous for me, for the sake of his name” The explanation being that G-d gets a good reputation when both people are right. Think about that, when both parties in a social transaction, especially a dispute, walk away thinking I was treated fairly, with justice and righteousness, then G-d gets the praise from all involved.

This line of reasoning is not new. In Tractate Sanhedrin 32b of the Babylonian Talmud, it says;

“R. Ashi said: The [contradictory] teachings are reconciled as above;¹²  but as for the [Scriptural] verses, one¹³  refers to a decision based on strict law, the other to a compromise. As it has been taught: Justice, justice shalt thou follow; the first [mention of justice] refers to a decision based on strict law; the second, to a compromise.”

This is a great reminder that in all of our most impassioned debates (Facebook people I’m talking to you), we must strive to remember that there are two sides to every story and sometimes both sides of an argument have valid points of view. So Avram, sometimes they can both be right.

All of this from rockin out to M while I was starting my work “day”. Go out there and find your teachers. Remember Confucius said “Walking along with three people , my teacher is sure to be among them. I choose what is good in them and follow it and what is not good and change it.”

Once again as always, I could be completely wrong about this.

Be Blessed, and go study.