[Avodah] Seeing the Alps

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

This thread is continued from "15 different fruits on Tu B'shvat"

R' Mikha'el Makovi mentioned:
> It reminds me of Rav Hirsch's visiting the Alps so that
> he'd be able to answer Hashem in the affirmative when
> asked about seeing His wonders.

I've heard this many times. Anyone know where it is from? I'm curious to know his exact words.

R' Liron Kopinsky asked:
> Even though it says ... 'Anything my eyes asked, I did not
> keep from them.'  the Ramchal still says that it is proper
> to abstain as much as possible from all worldly pleasures ...
> Does someone have a good explanation for how we understand
> this to fit in with the quote above? On a separate note, ...
> Since the Alps are not in front of me now and I can't see
> them, I should not be required to use them. However, if
> someone were to place a juicy steak in front of me, even if
> my general practice might be to abstain from meat during the
> week, it would seem that I should eat the steak as it is
> something I am currently beholding and would otherwise be
> refusing to partake in Hashem's good.

I can't think of a way to reconcile Rav Hirsch and the Ramchal as cited here. I hope someone else will comment.

But on RLK's second point, I think the critical point is to define what is "in front of me". My wild guess is that everyone agrees that I should not explore to world in search of new pleasures. But I suspect that the steak does not need to actually be on a plate in my lap, but that the criteria is a degree of *awareness* of the thing. Pleasures which I'm aware of, I should hunt them down and experience them.

But even that could lead to such a bitul zman and level of hedonism that I don't want to think that Rav Hirsch would have endorsed it. I can't imagine that I am mechuyav to try every single new product that becomes available in my grocery store. If so, then what can we learn from his example of the Alps? My guess (and this is why I'd like to see his words, so I don't have to guess) is that it is an *extremely* unusually beautiful place, and in RSRH's context it is a place which his audience has some shayachus to.

Caveat, Disclosure, and Personal Note: I confess that I have absolutely no desire to see the Alps myself. I've seen pictures of them. Yes, they are pretty mountains, but they don't "turn me on" much more than the Catskills do. This should not be extrapolated to anyone else; it is only a comment about *my* appreciation of beauty in nature. However, there is exactly one place in all of Chutz LaAretz which I *do* have a taavah to see, where I *would* like to go and see someday. The Grand Canyon. There's no accounting for taste, and while the Alps hold no attraction for me, I can't help but suspect that my desire to see the Grand Canyon might approximate the feelings which RSRH held for the Alps. I mention this because it is likely that these totally subjective feelings have colored what I wrote above about RLK's steak.

(I would be remiss if I did not mention that despite my strong feelings for the Grand Canyon, they run a far distant Second Place to even the most prosaic sight in Eretz Yisrael.)

Akiva Miller
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