Be Divine Not Bovine

Be Divine Not Bovine Not long ago I was driving along a stretch of rural country road and passed a cattle ranch that stretched on for acres and acres and contained hundreds of cows. I was mesmerized at the sheer number of cows, most of them with their heads buried in the grass as they grazed, and the rest lying on the ground either resting or sleeping. As I continued to pass stretches of cows I contemplated how fortunate I felt that I was not born as a cow! Now, that might not seem like the most profound thought in the world but I was dead serious. I thought to myself, “What kind of existence would it be if my whole life all I did was stand around with my head buried in the grass eating all day, with the only deviation being when I lie down to rest? Day after day, month after month and year after year....” I whispered a heartfelt thanks to G-d for creating me as a homo sapien! Shortly thereafter I saw a video clip that a friend of mine sent to me. In this clip there was a zoom conference between a judge and a lawyer, together with the client he was representing. In the box on the screen that had the lawyer, a cat appeared. The lawyer’s voice was talking, but there was a cat on the screen instead of a person. The judge told the lawyer that there was apparently a filter on the phone that was changing the image from him to that of a cat, and the poor lawyer was trying unsuccessfully to change it back. Unfortunately for him he was about as tech savvy as a real cat, and was unable to remove the filter. You could hear the frustration in his voice as he apologized for his inability to change it back. One can only imagine how his client must have felt! It can’t instill a tremendous vote of confidence in one’s lawyer when they can’t even figure out how to show up in court (virtually) without looking like a cat! After futilely trying to remove the filter, the lawyer finally blurted out to the judge, “Your honor, I can assure you I am not a cat!” Fortunately for the lawyer, the judge seemed to take it in stride, and was even amused by the bizarre situation. I got a good chuckle watching the video clip and then my mind took me back to my earlier thoughts regarding the cows. Remember I said I was so happy to be born a human being as opposed to coming to this world as a cow? I would imagine anyone reading this article would feel the exact same way. The question is, “Why, indeed?” Why is it better to be born as a person as opposed to a cow? The cows certainly look content! None of them worry about how they will earn a living, how to raise kids, Coronavirus or any of the myriad of life’s vicissitudes and anxieties. Am I indeed better off as a person? What advantage do I have? To answer this question we need to first address an underlying second question that many people don't think about enough. That question is, “Why was I put in this world? What is my purpose in being placed here for the decades that I, G-d willing, will spend here?” The Torah provides the answer to this second question: we were placed on earth to develop our souls through spiritual nourishment by studying Torah and becoming better people thereby. Considering that is our purpose, it is clear why it is better to be born a human, with this noble and higher calling, than a cow who has nothing more to its existence than to eat and sleep. The Torah further tells us that after our years spent in this world we will one day pass on. Hopefully, it is in the distant future but we instinctively know that it will happen to every one of us. No one in history has beaten the system! When that day comes we will all be brought to stand trial for our lives. Only in this case, the judge is none other than G-d Himself. Sadly, for those who lived their lives driven by animalistic instincts, as opposed to trying to live up to a higher calling, they will come up to the stand, and instead of shining with the radiance of a developed and rarified soul, they will appear as far less. It will be like a zoom screen with a filter on it, only instead of a cat, they will look like a cow. At that point, they will feel embarrassed and confused. “How can this be happening?” they will wonder in astonishment. The Judge will tell him that people appear in this courtroom in the manner that they spent their years on earth. It is a special filter that is applied. If one’s life was full of material pursuit, devoid of spirituality and purpose, the filter will make them appear as the existence which they personified. “But your honor! I can assure you I am NOT a cow! I am a person!” But at that point it will be futile, as once we leave this world we can no longer remove the filter. Embarrassment and shame will set in deeply but there will be nothing to do to change it. Fortunately there is a way to remove the filter before having to appear in court. While we are still breathing we have the ability to rectify the situation. How? Well, when one doesn’t have the technical knowledge to deal with computers, he calls a technician who does. Similarly, if you want to know how to start living with purpose, you call a technician who can teach you. Only in this case it is not a computer geek, but a spiritual mentor, who can properly guide you on how to maximize your life. Unlike a cat, we don’t get nine lives – we only get one. So let’s make it count! Oh, and if you need a lawyer I know of one that’s purrrfect! (Sorry, couldn’t resist!) Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Yosef