[Avodah] Seeing the Alps

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Richard Wolpoe wrote:
> The point of Hirsh is that one can get a "hispal'us" from
> seeing the Alps or the Grand Canyon and then it is a
> worthwhile endeavor to See HKBH in HIS Greatness in this
> world. it is not about PHYSICAL han'anh it is about
> spirtual inspiration.

So far, we totally agree.

> Just as niggun inspires SOME-  the Alps inspired Hirsch to
> increase his connection with the Divine. Is that so hard to
> understand? So Lemashal if I heard a concert with the music
> of Bach and Mozart and received inspiration it would be like
> Hirsch going to the Alps.

But the niggun is a human creation, and the Alps are a Divine creation. To me, that is gigantic distinction. "Mah rabu maasecha" can easily apply to the Alps. I have no idea how it could apply to a work of human art, except in the most general sense that Hashem gave us the tools to make such art with.

I note that you put emphasis on the word "some", and I am (generally) not among that subset. To me, a niggun can be an enjoyable piece of entertainment, if it is a niggun which I like. Also, if the niggun accompanies lyrics, and the music of the niggun emphasizes those lyrics to make them more understandable or more powerful, then *that* is what I would call an "inspiring" niggun. But otherwise, wordless niggunim just don't "do it" for me. (But I have no complaint against those who *are* inspired by them.)

But ditto in the opposite direction as well. Many years ago, we had a thread --- wow, I just went to look it up. It was in 1999, Avodah volume 3, approx. issues 143-154, under subjects like "Wagner's Music" and "Is all music value-neutral?" Back then I felt, and I still feel today, that while wordless music can give a person a very basic emotional feeling such as calmness or frenzy, I do not see how it can bring one to a higher-lever emotion such as love or hate, and even more so, I do not see how wordless music can inspire one to something like deveykus to Hashem. --- Unless, of course, one has reason to associate that particular niggun with some particular lyrics, in which case it is not really a wordless niggun.

> If a drunk has booze it is a physical pleasure. if a ehrlihcer
> hassid has a schnappes it is a spiritual event.  Simple - no?

No. Not unless that schnappes helped that hassid to some sort of chiddush in learning, or in dveykus, or whatever. Which I freely admit that alcohol *can* help do. But the drinking alone is *not* a spiritual event. And woe to those who think it is.

Akiva Miller
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