(Blessing 4: Knowledge)
The ethnosphere—the world as shaped by the humans on it—is more of a fruit cocktail than a smoothie. Although all people share certain traits, we would be foolishly naïve to pretend that there are no distinct cultures making up the totality of human society. Swedish civilization is different from Israeli civilization is different from Chinese civilization is different from ….
You would have to be crazy to say that English cuisine is the same as French cuisine; to say that Italian architecture is the same as Turkish architecture; to say that Roman warriors are the same as Buddhist monks.
Each civilization makes its own contribution to that which we call human, and in a certain sense, all these contributions are equal, just by virtue of being part of the human equation. All equal, but all different. Each culture privileges and valorizes that which it considers most essential. It could be artistic ability, or military prowess, or gourmet taste, or many other things.
In Judaism, it is knowledge that counts. And how do we know this? By looking at the weekday Amidah. The middle section of the weekday Amidah is an expression of the deepest desires of the Jewish people, leading toward our redemption and return to the Land. And what is first on the list of our desires? Knowledge. “Favor us with Your knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.” For us, knowledge is key. Or as the Rabbis said, “Talmud torah k’neged kulam,” the study of Torah is like all the other mitzvot combined.
President John Adams is quoted as saying, “The Hebrews have done more to civilize men than any other nation. If I were an atheist, and believed blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations.” If that’s true (and I like to think it is) it wasn’t because our boeuf bourguignon won any Michelin prizes. It wasn’t because our synagogues match Chartres or St Marks in Venice. It was because, for generation after generation, we poured over our sacred texts, seeking to glean the wisdom of G-d and bring it to practical application.
Every weekday, three times a day, for thousands of years, we have recognized that knowledge is a gift from G-d. Other peoples gain knowledge too, of course. That goes without saying. But none of them have made it the central rallying point of their whole enterprise.