My Struggles with the Chachum.

I clearly had a pretty hard time hearing what the Chachum had to say in his final speech. I had really liked him when he first came into the picture and basically gave everyone a reality check. He told the nehena that man does have a purpose and role in this world. Actions impact your reputation and its time to recognize the reality of the world--there is death. To the Amal, he says that the world is not all about man and man is not meant to be perfect. You can't be angry because you can't control the world and because your expectations are falling short---you have to look at the way things are. Lastly, he tells the Yirei Elokim to stop acting so righteous. Everyone sins. Man can't be perfect.

Finally someone gets in there and tells these extreme personalities what life is all about. Just because everything isn't perfect doesn't mean everything is hevel! I really liked this guy. Then, in perek tet, everything changed.

After hearing from the Yirei Elokim and the Nehena, the Chachum seems to take a closer look at the world. He talks about a little fly that lands in a vat of perfume. Instantaneously, the fly makes the perfume putrid and ruined. Similarly, one tiny imperfection ruins chachmah. For anyone to listen to what the chahum is saying, it must be perfect. The same applies nowadays. If something is proved wrong in a scientific study or theory, then no one wants to hear about it. When you're on the defense side in a court case, you try to throw as much stuff at the wall you can, hoping something will stick. This just means that you bring up as many reasons as possible that can make the prosecution's case seem shaky. You just have to show that there's one little imperfection in their case/story and that changes everything. It ruins their entire case. The same is true with debate. When you're on the negative side all you have to do is point out the smallest imperfections with the affirmative team's plan and you can win.

Even though it all makes sense, it means that the chachum is moving to an extreme! Before he was the realist who was the most sensible and down to earth. Now he is striving for perfection just like the rest of them. And this makes me angry. How can someone go from being a realist who tells the others that perfection is not attainable to striving for perfection himself? That just does not seem realistic to me. It's like when you're watching a show and it starts out really good, but then, the more unrealistic it gets, the less you want to watch it.

I've tried to understand how the chuchum could have made such a drastic move in his thinking, and I think I might be starting to understand but am I not satisfied. I guess the more he is hearing about how messed up the world is from the Nehena who just had a panic attack/explosion, the more the Chuchum has been reflecting on the current state of the world. He sees that society is messed up and the leaders are foolish. The leader is a hedonist and money is everything to him. If only the ruler could use wisdom and insight, then the world would be better. He believes that the only way to make the world better is if he is in power. He is clearly frustrated with how the world is run and is no longer satisfied with the reality of the situation. He knows that he can make the world better and since he does not have the chance, he gets frustrated enough to change his whole outlook on life.

And I am not impressed.