A Sacred Earth Odyssey
by
Tzvi Freeman
 I want to tell you
about the greatest discovery of the millennium. It wasn't
the printing press. It wasn't America. It wasn't
even vaccination. The greatest discovery of the
millennium happened near its very end.
It was the discovery
of Planet Earth.
We were trying to get
away from Planet Earth -- ever since we had to leave
the garden. We built temples reaching to the heavens, to
transcend our earthly bounds. Cities to lock out the
earth's wildness, as though we were not a part of it.
We told her she was a dark and lowly place, that we
needed to escape her to reach our destiny. We ravaged
her, raped her, paved her. Our dreams were dreams of
overcoming Earth.
Until finally, in the
ultimate of all dreams, we escaped her. We told her,
"Earth, we don't need you anymore! After all, you
are just one little planet in an awesome universe! We
are going out there to conquer planets bigger and better
than you. We shall become masters of the stars, of the
galaxies!"
We got to the moon.
The moon was barren. We sent probes to Mars. Mars was
dead. To the icon of beauty, to Venus. She was dressed
in poisonous, burning clouds. And then the pockets of
American Congress were also barren to fund our useless
dreams.
It was then that we
looked back from outer space, and discovered something
we had never imagined. A shining jewel in the vast
darkness. Never before had we known her beauty. The most
beautiful planet a mind could dream of.
It was then that we
realized everything our spirits ever wanted was here.
That we need her and she needs us. Our destiny is hers
and hers is ours. For we are one.
We discovered Planet
Earth.
We need to save our
Planet Earth. There was one other time she was in peril,
and then there was only one man who could save her. Not
that he was the only righteous man. There were
others.
But Noah was not just
a spiritual man. He was, as the Torah says, "A man
of the Earth". According to our tradition, Noah
invented the plow.
So, G-d looked down
at the world He had made and how its soul had been
ripped out of it, and He saw these people who prayed and
meditated and transcended the bounds of body and earth,
and He said, "You people are not the solution. You
are part of the problem. Only Noah, who knows to bond
body and spirit, heaven and earth, he alone can save My
world."
In our century,
during the most horrible crimes of humanity, we have
seen how spiritual people were quiet. The ravaging of
humanity and of the earth has happened with their
permission.
But now we have
discovered Planet Earth. We have discovered spiritual
fulfillment and G-dliness within her. And we know that
if we cannot make peace with her and with each other, we
will not survive much longer.
The Creed of
Noah
At the dawn of
creation, G-d gave the first human being six rules to
follow in order that His world be sustained. Later,
after the Great Flood, he charged Noah with one more. So
it is recounted in the Book of Genesis as interpreted by
our tradition in the Talmud. There will come a time, our
sages told us, that the children of Noah will be
prepared to return to this path. That will be the
beginning of a new world, a world of wisdom and peace.
For most of Jewish
history, circumstance did not permit our people to
spread these principles, other than by indirect means.
When the Rebbe (Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson)
began speaking about publicizing them as a
preparation for a new era, he was reviving an almost
lost tradition.
What fascinates me is
the breathing room they provide. They resonate equally
in a hut in Africa or a palace in India, in a school in
Moscow or a suburban home in America. They are like the
guidelines of a great master of music or art: firm,
reliable and comprehensive -- but only a base, and upon
this base each people and every person may build.
According to the
sages of the Talmud, there are 70 families with 70 paths
within the great Family of Man. And each individual has
his or her path within a path. Yet, there is one
universal basis for us all.
Anyone who lives by
these rules, acknowledging that they are what G-d wants
of us, is considered by our tradition to be righteous.
That person is a builder with a share in the world as it
is meant to be.
The creed of Noah is
a sacred inheritance of all the children of Noah, one
that every person on the face of the earth can recite
every day. And if enough of us will begin to say these
same words every day, we will see a different world very
soon. Sooner than we can imagine.
Here is a phrasing of
the "Creed of Noah", according to ancient tradition,
with a touch of elaboration:
I,
child of Noah,
caretaker of our precious planet earth,
accept upon myself the responsibility for peace and
oneness in our world,
as accepted by Adam and by Noah,
transmitted by Moses and his people over the ages:
- I will not worship
anyone or anything other than the One Creator, who
cares for the creatures of our world, renewing the
Act of Creation at every moment in infinite wisdom,
being life for each thing.
In this is included
prayer, study and meditation.
- I will not show
disrespect for the Creator in any way.
This may be seen to
include respect for the beauty and life of the
Creation.
- I will not murder.
Each human being,
just as Adam and Eve, comprises an entire world. To
save a life is to save that entire world. To destroy a
life is to destroy an entire world. To help others
live is a corollary of this principle. Every human
being that G-d has created is obliged to provide for
others in need.
- I will respect the
institution of marriage.
Marriage is a most
divine act. The marriage of a man and a woman is a
reflection of the Oneness of G-d and His creation.
Dishonesty in marriage is an assault on that Oneness.
- I will not take
that which does not rightfully belong to me.
Deal honestly in
all your business. By relying on G-d, rather than on
our own conniving, we express our trust in Him as the
Provider of Life.
- I will not cause
needless harm to any living thing.
At the outset of
his creation, Man was the gardener in the Garden of
Eden to "take care of it and protect it". At
first, Man was forbidden to harm any animal. After the
Great Flood, he was permitted to consume meat -- but
with a warning: Do not cause unnecessary suffering to
any creature.
- I will uphold
courts of truth and justice in my land.
Justice is G-d's
business, but we are given the charge to lay down
necessary laws and enforce them whenever we can. When
we right the wrongs of society, we are acting as
partners in the act of sustaining the creation.
May the
nations beat their swords into plowshares.
May the wolf lie down with the lamb.
May the earth fill with wisdom
as waters cover the ocean floor.
And may it be very soon in all of our lifetimes,
sooner than we imagine.
Book by this author:
Bringing Heaven Down to Earth
by
Tzvi Freeman.
Info/Order this book
About The
Author
Tzvi Freeman is the
author of Bringing Heaven Down To Earth, published by Adams
Media. Due to the popularity of his book in Germany, he was invited to
speak before approximately 4000 attendees of the 18th International
Peace Conference, chaired by Rajhinder Singh in Munich, Germany. The
above is excerpted, with permission, from his presentation at the Peace
Conference. You can subscribe to a weekly or a daily fix of the Rebbe's
wisdom -- compiled and condensed by the author of Bringing Heaven Down
To Earth. Visit www.theRebbe.com
for more info.
| Comments () >> |
 |
 |
