The Foolish Acquisition of Knowledge without Heart

HH

Knowledge without Heart

Science is known to be cold and calculating. Science measures time, space, and all that those contain, it even measures the soul, levels of emotion and so forth. What science doesn’t know how to measure is the heart, good and evil. Science in fact tries to ignore this dimension. Science for example, regulates urine and stool examples with extreme professionalism, in a septic environment and system, a brazen face against the real nature of these items that are the waste and excrement that the body rejected which stink and are repulsive. Doctors are considered above the temptations of the flesh as they practice their profession, professionalism is considered somehow to be immune to the dimensions of good and bad, the desires of the heart.

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan in his most monumental work, his translation and comments on Sefer Yetzira – Book of Creation, writes an amazing chidush (novelty) which he came up with. One dimension (a line) has 2 directions, two dimensions (a plane), adds another factor of two, how far to extend the lines width, making it two to the power of two. Three dimensions, adds breadth, another factor of two, making it two to power of three . These three dimensions are that of space, making space measurable by a factor of 8. Following this, when the dimension of time is added, there will be another factor of two, making it two to the power of four, 16. When the dimension of good and evil is added, there will be another factor of two, making it 32 directions, 32 is Hebrew is LEV – heart!

With this we can gain deeper appreciation for what it says in Proverbs (17:16), “For what is the payment of the fool in his hand, to acquire knowledge but with no heart?” For the book of Proverbs especially belittles the superficial wisdom of science and philosophy. All the money in the world, all the quantification and research, if it is without heart, it is for nothing.

The Torah says that the world was created for man, all of creation, inanimate and all life forms are supposed to be at his disposal. Man is therefore responsible for the wellbeing and welfare of all creation, as its master. However when man sees himself responsible for creation as its servant, this is the exact opposite of the purpose of creation, and it brings absolute mayhem into the world. Because the world was designed to have man as its master, and if man chases after its tail, then this GF throws the whole sequence and order of the world upside down GF.

[The same holds true regarding climate change, the world was created for man, and man must build and beautify it and not destroy it, but at the same time he must not fall subservient to the conduct of nature. The world was created to host man and all his needs, and man need not and should not view himself as an intruder or a slave who must try to help the environment.]

In today’s society people in the city must clean up after their dogs, and so thousands of people without being fazed at all, without any compunction tend to their dogs manure, picking it up with their hands, very scientifically septic with a plastic bag and all, and carry it with them until they can dispose of it properly. This is done purely scientifically not considering for a moment what is really going on. The peoples need for the animal’s love and acceptance is so great to them that they have become subservient to the extent that they stoop to pick up its manure, relying heavily on their scientific knowledge that there is nothing inherently different in manure than anything in the world, it is just a bunch of chemical components thrown together that forms this mass, which might or might not smell, regardless. But because scientifically it is known to be a terrible affront to many people, and it can contain harmful bacteria and so forth, they must remove it, and so they do without any misgiving.

According to science, a male or female is just so many qualities and properties, and all of those can be manipulated as one sees fit, and viola, it is completely arbitrary. Because there is no heart. Sure they will provide the measurements of the emotions of the person, but the heart, the real heart, they can’t touch that whatsoever. On the contrary, they use all the external emotions and physical properties to project and make claims to dictate what the heart is, it is male or female, because this person has such and such emotions and so forth. They make the heart the servant of the external emotions and properties, when it is the exact opposite, the heart is the king of the body, and all the emotions and properties must subject themselves to the heart. So in their empty arrogant ignorance, they claim that they know the heart!

Then these great scholars and scientists weigh their grand opinions on society how to run the country, policy making and so forth. They have everything figured out according to their great knowledge and faith in science, and they confidently and emphatically apply their adept knowledge with great certitude, not being able to fathom at all how anyone can doubt let alone staunchly disagree with their conclusions.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman!