[ On
the Corrosiveness of Doubt ]
Keeping our Wisdom
by
Rabbi Pinchas Winston *
I knew someone who met his wife only after
110 shidduchim [dates]— 110 shidduchim! Even though he was happily married, he
complained about the amount of times that he had to date before finally settling
down, and attributed it to the fact that he had probably met his soul mate
early on in the process, but out of doubt, had passed her up. To teach him a
lesson, he surmised, God didn’t bring another one around until 100 shidduchim
later!
Maybe yes, and maybe no. One thing is for
certain, though, and that is, that doubt can be very destructive—VERY
destructive. It can lead to relationships that should never have begun, and
destroy those that should never have stopped. It can cause world leaders to trust
those who threaten their lives and those of their countrymen, and not trust
those who have their best interest at heart. In short, doubt is insidiously
dangerous for mankind.
….......................................................
At first, doubt, as troubling as it can be
at times, doesn’t sound so bad. This simple example, however, shows why we’re
easily fooled by doubt, until it’s too late to do anything about it, and the
full depth of its destructive power becomes known.
Imagine standing on the corner of a busy
street, waiting for the light to change before crossing, when all of a sudden,
a news reporter along with his film crew approach you.
“Can you answer a question for us while we
record?”
Thinking about it for a moment, wondering
how bad the situation could possibly get, you answer, “Sure, I can try.”
“Great,” the reporter says. “We’re part of a
survey crew for the Channel 2 News, and we just want to find out how well the
man in the street knows his history.”
Recalling that history was one of the
subjects to which you barely ever paid good attention, you shift your position,
displaying obvious nervousness. Picking up on your uneasiness, the reporter
says, “We just have one simple question that you probably know the answer for.”
You smile uncomfortably, doubting the
sincerity of the interviewer.
“And, just to make it worth your while,” he
adds, “we’re going to give you and your wife an all-expense paid vacation to a
resort of your choice if you get the answer right.”
How did I get myself into this? you wonder
to yourself, as you break out into a sweat. If you get the right answer, you
can finally take your wife on a long awaited vacation at no cost to you, but if
you don’t get the answer right, public humiliation won’t be the worst of it!
“What’s your name?” he asks.
“Ah . . . David . . .” you answer,
hesitatingly.
“Well, David, for an all expense paid
vacation at the resort of your choice, tell me, what is the name of the
thirtieth President of the United
States of America?”
“Funny you should ask that question,” you
tell him, “because when I was in college, my roommate used to memorize the
names of all the Presidents of the United States. I used to make fun
of him, telling him, ‘Like that’s ever going to make a difference in your
life!’ but he just kept on doing it.”
“That is funny,” the reporter says. “Bet you
now wish you memorized those names right along with him, eh?”
You laugh nervously, wondering if your old
roommate is going to watch the interview later on, yelling out the answer, long
after you blew the opportunity to take your wife on her well-deserved vacation.
“So, David, do you have the answer?” the
reporter asks, clearly wanting to move on already to his next victim.
In a voice that clearly reveals your doubt,
you say, “Ah . . . Roosevelt?”
“Wow!” he responds, boosting your hopes momentarily,
before crashing them with the words, “So close . . . but not exactly. The
thirtieth President of the United
States of America was Calvin Coolidge. FDR,”
he tells you, as you turn different shades of red, “was the thirty-second
President, I believe.”
“Right,” you say somewhat sheepishly.
“Well, thanks for participating in our
survey,” he says, getting ready to move on to the next interviewee, “You have a
good day now,” he adds, leaving you totally humiliated and deflated, and
wondering if your entire office staff was watching. And all you had wanted to
do was cross the street and get some lunch. What a turn of events.
….......................................................
Doubt is to a human mind what germs are to a
immune system. While kept in check, a person can remain healthy and in control.
But, should a germ find a weak spot, it can grow and fester, and, in some
cases, even result in death. Likewise, doubt can eventually result in
intellectual and spiritual death, and has, so many times through history.
_____________________________________
* Source: http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5773/tetzaveh.html
___________________________________________________________
TPO's advice is to resort to the old tried and true ... "When in doubt, don't!"
