[Avodah] Right?

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Dec 03, 2025 at 06:06:09AM +0200, Joel Rich via Avodah wrote:
> In a number of places in halacha we give priority to the right-hand side
> and turning to the right. It's interesting that 80+ percent of humans are
> right-handed. While there are a number of theories as to why this might
> be(especially compared to other life forms), I wonder if there's some
> message as to why HKBH created the world this way. Any thoughts appreciated?

This raises the question I was discussing a few weeks ago with a cousin of
mine. He is the Chabad Shaliach to New Orleans (deputized by his father,
who RMMS personally sent to Louisiana as a whole). So he and I come to
Qabbalah from very different positions.

Are most people righties because Chessed on the Metaphysical "Right",
and Chessed should always be stronger than Din for the universe(s)
to exist. So therefore the Metaphysical "Right"'s effect in the
physical universe, the physical concept of Right, will be stronger than
left. Leading to more Righties than Lefties.

Or, do we place Chessed on the Metaphysical "Right" because most people
are righties. Since they should think of Chessed as the stronger middah
than Din, for most of us we should picture it on the right.

There is a lemaaseh difference for us lefties. The first one would ask
lefties to just see themselves as an exception to the rule. The latter
would have the things righties do on the right side because Chessed be
done on the left side by lefties.

More things are done with the right hand because of the kavod of the
mitzvah to be done with the more capable hand. Or tying with the left
because of tefillin. And lefties would swap those anyway.

But minhagim like the right order to wash hands is about Chessed first.
To conform to my minhag, should I actually wash my left hand first?

A point in favor of Qabbalistic Right vs Left being projections back from
the physical experience is that right is inherently a subjective term,
depending on which direction you're facing.

Something quite related to physical right (Yemin) is south (Teiman).
That's more objective, at least until we know what "Teiman" would mean
on whatever other planets we someday live on.

You may recall from halachic discussion that I am predisposed to
believe that a system whose main goal is to shape humans care more
about human experiences than objective realities. Which gives me
a bias towas the idea that Chessed is on the speaker's stronger or
more agile side.

A lichtikn un freilechn Zos Chanukah!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where
http://www.aishdas.org/asp   you are,  or what you are doing,  that makes you
Author: Widen Your Tent      happy or unhappy. It's what you think about.
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF                      - Dale Carnegie