The 4th-century scholar Rabbi Zeira once found his teacher Rabbi Yehuda in an unusually good mood. Realizing that it was a propitious time to ask whatever he wanted, Rabbi Zeira posed the following question: "Why is it that the goats always stride in front of the herd, to be followed by the sheep?"
I suppose the last thing we would expect Rabbi Zeira to ask about would be this mundane fact of animal husbandry. Rabbi Yehuda, however, wasn't fazed. Good-humoredly, he explained that this phenomenon reflects the order of Creation. "It is like the creation of the universe: first there was darkness [the goats, who are usually black], and afterwards light [the white sheep]." (Shabbat 77b)
A treasure-trove of wisdom had opened up for Rabbi Zeira - he had the opportunity to inquire into the deepest secrets of the universe! - and instead he quizzed his master about goats and sheep?
The Shepherd-Philosopher
In fact, Rabbi Zeira's query was not so out of line. The great leaders of the Jewish people in ancient times were shepherds. As Joseph's brothers told Pharaoh, "Like our fathers before us, we are shepherds." (Genesis 47:5) We find that Moses and David also worked in this profession. There must be a reason that our forefathers chose to herd goats and sheep.
The life of a shepherd is a lifestyle that allows for reflection and inner contemplation. The labor is not intensive. Unlike farming, one does not need to immerse all of one's energies in physical matters. At the same time, the shepherd remains in constant contact with the real world. His reflections are of a sound nature, not artificially cut off from life and reality. For this reason, our forefathers, the great thinkers of their time, worked as shepherds.
Progression of Thought
Rabbi Zeira's observation about flocks connects the external focus of the shepherd - his goats and sheep - with his internal focus - his thoughts and ideas.
Ideas first come to us as vague thoughts, obscured by the blurry mist of our imaginative powers. Inside the murky fog, however, lies a great treasure. In time, our thoughts are refined and clarified. From the shrouded darkness comes forth light and clarity.
The pattern of traveling sheep corresponds to the progression of thought in the shepherd's mind. The dark goats breaking out in front of the white sheep is a metaphor for the inspired but hazy notions that surge forth in our thoughts. These insights are followed by a flock of clarified ideas that have been properly examined by our faculties of reason. In this way, we develop the concepts that form the basis for our spiritual and ethical life.
The Need for Darkness
As Rabbi Yehuda pointed out, this order is inherent to the nature of the world. The light in the universe was created out of the darkness. This phenomenon is also true on a personal level. We cannot completely dismiss the illusory aspects of our minds, for they inspire us to originality of thought. Our imagination dominates our thought processes; only through its opaque insights can we arrive at the path of enlightened wisdom.
[Based on Ein Aya vol. IV, pp. 144-5]
I suppose the last thing we would expect Rabbi Zeira to ask about would be this mundane fact of animal husbandry. Rabbi Yehuda, however, wasn't fazed. Good-humoredly, he explained that this phenomenon reflects the order of Creation. "It is like the creation of the universe: first there was darkness [the goats, who are usually black], and afterwards light [the white sheep]." (Shabbat 77b)
A treasure-trove of wisdom had opened up for Rabbi Zeira - he had the opportunity to inquire into the deepest secrets of the universe! - and instead he quizzed his master about goats and sheep?
The Shepherd-Philosopher
In fact, Rabbi Zeira's query was not so out of line. The great leaders of the Jewish people in ancient times were shepherds. As Joseph's brothers told Pharaoh, "Like our fathers before us, we are shepherds." (Genesis 47:5) We find that Moses and David also worked in this profession. There must be a reason that our forefathers chose to herd goats and sheep.
The life of a shepherd is a lifestyle that allows for reflection and inner contemplation. The labor is not intensive. Unlike farming, one does not need to immerse all of one's energies in physical matters. At the same time, the shepherd remains in constant contact with the real world. His reflections are of a sound nature, not artificially cut off from life and reality. For this reason, our forefathers, the great thinkers of their time, worked as shepherds.
Progression of Thought
Rabbi Zeira's observation about flocks connects the external focus of the shepherd - his goats and sheep - with his internal focus - his thoughts and ideas.
Ideas first come to us as vague thoughts, obscured by the blurry mist of our imaginative powers. Inside the murky fog, however, lies a great treasure. In time, our thoughts are refined and clarified. From the shrouded darkness comes forth light and clarity.
The pattern of traveling sheep corresponds to the progression of thought in the shepherd's mind. The dark goats breaking out in front of the white sheep is a metaphor for the inspired but hazy notions that surge forth in our thoughts. These insights are followed by a flock of clarified ideas that have been properly examined by our faculties of reason. In this way, we develop the concepts that form the basis for our spiritual and ethical life.
The Need for Darkness
As Rabbi Yehuda pointed out, this order is inherent to the nature of the world. The light in the universe was created out of the darkness. This phenomenon is also true on a personal level. We cannot completely dismiss the illusory aspects of our minds, for they inspire us to originality of thought. Our imagination dominates our thought processes; only through its opaque insights can we arrive at the path of enlightened wisdom.
[Based on Ein Aya vol. IV, pp. 144-5]