The purpose

The purpose of a life lived in Torah is not the elevation of the soul: It is the sanctification of the world. Thus, every day we experience two sides of the same light. On one side, the light is like the land, requiring work to be made useful and to produce clothing, food, shelter. The other side of that same light is one in which we learn and pray. The first is the city, the second a wilderness. The first is communal, the second isolated. They appear to be in tension, but they are of and from the same light. They are the two parts of every one of our days. We can each begin our day in wilderness, with morning seclusion, prayer, meditation, and learning. But sooner or later we emerge from the wildernesss and move into the world of matters, of business, livelihood and labor.