רַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לֹא לְרָעָתָם נָתַתִּי לָהֶם בְּרָכוֹת וּקְלָלוֹת, אֶלָּא לְהוֹדִיעָן אֵיזוֹ דֶּרֶךְ טוֹבָה שֶׁיִּבְחֲרוּ אוֹתָהּ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּטְלוּ שָׂכָר, מִנַּיִן, מִמַּה שֶּׁקָּרִינוּ בָּעִנְיָן (דברים יא, כו): רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם וגו'.
The rabbis say: God said: "I did not give Israel the blessings in the curses for their hurt, but only to show them the good way which they should choose in order to receive reward."
אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה, לְעֶבֶד שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ רַבּוֹ הֲרֵי מוֹנַיִיק שֶׁל זָהָב, וְאִם לָאו הֲרֵי כְּבָלִים שֶׁל בַּרְזֶל. כָּךְ אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אִם עֲשִׂיתֶם אֶת רְצוֹנִי הֲרֵי הַטּוֹב וְהַבְּרָכָה, וְאִם לָאו, הֲרֵי הַקְּלָלָה, הֲרֵי שְׁתֵּי דְרָכִים לִפְנֵיכֶם, רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה.
Rabbi Levi said: To what can this be compared? To a slave whose master says to them: If you listen to me I have a bracelet of gold for you, and if not, then I have chains of iron for you. Such God said to the Israelites: If you do My will, then blessing and goodness, and if not, then curse. Behold, two paths are before you. See that I have placed before you the choice of blessing or curse.
אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר מִשֶּׁאָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה בְּסִינַי, בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה (איכה ג, לח): מִפִּי עֶלְיוֹן לֹא תֵצֵא הָרָעוֹת וְהַטּוֹב, אֶלָּא מֵאֵלֶיהָ הָרָעָה בָּאָה עַל עוֹשֵׂי הָרָעָה, וְהַטּוֹבָה בָּאָה עַל עוֹשֵׂי הַטּוֹבָה. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אָמַר רַבִּי חַגַּי וְלֹא עוֹד שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לָכֶם שְׁתֵּי דְרָכִים, אֶלָּא שֶׁנִּכְנַסְתִּי לִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין וְאָמַרְתִּי לָכֶם (דברים ל, יט): וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים.
Rabbi Elezar said: From the moment that God said these curses and blessings at Mt. Sinai, it is said that the verse, "From the Heavenly Mouth bad and good will not go out." (Lam. 3:38) Rather, from that time forward the bad occurred to those who did the bad, and the good occurred to those who did the good. Another thing, Rabbi Chagai said (that God said): I have bent the rules and said to you all, "Choose life!" (Deut. 30:19)
What Sustains You?
David Grossman, "Individual Language and Mass Language,"
Writing in the Dark: Essays on Literature and Politics (2008)
In the Jewish tradition there is a legend...that every person has a small bone in his body called the luz, located at the tip of the spine, which enfolds the essence of a person's soul. This bone cannot be destroyed... It stores a person's spark of uniqueness, the core of his selfhood... Those of you who would like to find your own response to the question may, when you go home, choose to gather your thoughts and consider: What is the thing within me that is the true root of my soul? What is the quality, the essence, the final spark that will remain in me even when all other things are extinguished? What is the thing that has such great and concerted power that I will be re-created out of it, in an extremely private sort of "big bang"?
Once in a while I ask people close to me what they believe their luz is, and I have heard many varied answers. Several writers, and artists in general, have told me that their luz is creativity, the passion to create and the urge to produce. Religious people, believers, have often said that their luz is the divine spark they feel inside. One friend answered, after much thought: Parenthood... And another friend immediately replied that her luz was her longing for the things and people she missed. A woman who was roughly ninety at the time talked about the love of her life, a man who committed suicide over sixty years ago: he was her luz.