Rabbi Bunam said to his hasidim:
"The sins which man commits--those are not his great crime. Temptation is powerful and his strength is slight! The great crime of man is that he can turn at every moment, and does not do so."
(Martin Buber, Tales of the Hasidim II: 257)
What does the rabbi mean by "he can turn at every moment" turn from his sin? turn from his choice for or against God? and Is the Rabbi implying that the sins of man are slight because temptation is powerful and strength is slight?
ReplyDeleteHe means--I believe--that one can return to God at any time, no matter how far one has gone, no matter what one has done, like the prodigal son; and that there are no prerequisites for turning one's face toward wholeness and the One, only post-requisites once one has turned oneself around and started walking toward righteousness and mercy, justice and love...Mary
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