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“ And G-D said to
them …”It’s the first recorded conversation we encounter in the Bible. Humans
are the only creatures to whom the Creator speaks in this manner. In the same section
of Genesis we are shown that each of us has a special capacity to relate to
nature to our fellow man, to ourselves and to G-od. Of course, these relationships which man is inclined to form are not like watertight compartments which are independent of one another.
Our relationship with nature results from
our observations and the detailed handiwork that we observe relationshipswith our fellow man are based on our interests and life experiences;
and our relationship with G-d,
which comes from deep inside our being, is a result of self-dialogue, and is
nurtured by all other relationships mentioned above.
True dialogue is at the heart of the thinking man’s life and demands that each person tries to get to know and understand the person with whom they are conversing. As Ernesto Sabato expressed in his unique style in the prologue of his book One and the Universe. One sets off for distant lands.Or seek the knowledge of man, or investigates nature, or searches for G-d, only afterwardsdoes he realise that the phantom he was chasing was Himself. When conversing with one’s fellow man, words are only vehicles for communicating, although even in societies where everyone speaks the same language, the exact same words take on somewhat different meanings. sach person adds their own nuance to many of the words they use, which then become part of the linguistic heritage. Dialogue requires that participant become acquainted with the other person.
G-d’s
candle is man’s soul which reveals the innermost parts of his being”. In
its most
profound sense, to
have one’s soul nearer to another’s in order to reveal and illuminate
his or
her core.”
2 Uno y El
Universa Edicion definitive, Seix Barral, Buenos Aires, 1995
3 Proverbs 20-27
When a dialogue
reaches this level of magnitude, one becomes aware of what he or she has in
common with the other person. He or she each has the same persistent existential
questions with their various interpretations. Each soul is a reflection of the
other.
The Divine Breath,
which both possess, known to unite the two and then form a link with Him that will never weaken, as it is written, A cord of three strands is not quickly
torn apart.
There were many
different opportunities which helped pave the long road of details and circumstances
that brought Cardinal Bergoglio, and me closer and allowed us to get to
know each other better.
One day we set a
time and place so that we could just sit together and talk. The topic of discussion
was life itself as seen through the prisms of local society, global concerns
and the existence of villainy and nobility that surround us. We spoke with
complete intimacy, if you don’t count the presence of G-d. Although His name
wasn’t brought up consistently (perhaps it should have been?) We felt that He
was always present.
The meetings became
recurring events, with each one focussed on a different topic one time,
our meeting took place in my office in the synagogue and I was commenting on some
of the framed documents that adorn the walls. I paused to focus on some pages
From
a manuscript written by the great thinker Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and some
of
the other texts as well. Regardless, my friend had stopped following me, having
spotted
a
greeting that I had hung next to the
Heschel documents. He had presented it at the
synagogue some years before on the occasion of
the Jewish New Year. While I went about
re-arranging
some things in my constantly cluttered workspace, I saw that he continued
to focus on those particular pages, which he
himself had signed and dated.
4 Eccleciaciastes 4:12