Why Does Hashem Condone Hierarchy?

Question

Rabbi, in light of the belief that the face of Hashem takes many forms, why do you think we continue to live in a world that is organized hierarchically, with some people being superior or having more power than others?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    Rabbi Yehuda HaLevy, in his seminal work called Kuzari, poses the question that perhaps it would have been better for all of mankind to have been exposed to Hashem’s message directly. In his answer, he responds by asking if it would not have been better for all animal life to have been given the ability to speak. Why is it that only humans have that unique ability? He answers that there has always been a hierarchy, both in the physical world and the spiritual one. He explains that from the Creation, one person was chosen by Hashem to be the recipient of His legacy. That legacy was passed from Adam to Seth etc. up to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, at which point things changed slightly and the righteousness of Yaakov’s sons was recognized by Hashem and they became the collective carriers of that legacy. The practical repercussion of that concept is that the descendants of the twelve sons of Yaakov have a different spiritual DNA than the rest of the world. This is the definition of the Chosen People, and together with that designation comes an incredible responsibility to be the torch bearers of that spiritual message in the world. In effect, what we are being taught is that Hashem’s “choice” was for a certain spiritual quality, as opposed to a quantity.

    Why did Hashem design His system like that? It is almost impossible to know the true answer to this question. But, perhaps, it is to teach us all that spirituality is not something that is accessible just by dint of being a part of the human race. Spirituality is something that must be aspired to and toiled over.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team