We all know that life is filled with challenges. A week doesn’t go by without an obstacle that needs to be overcome or a problem that we have to solve. Many people become overwhelmed by life because of this. We function on the basis of what we hear, see, smell, and touch. Our minds draw conclusions based on appearances. Too often we judge the book by its cover, we judge people by what they say or how they look, and we decide how to approach life on the basis of limited information.
The Chassidic masters proposed an adjustment in our view of life, whereby the external challenges and obstacles would not be viewed as an aberration, but rather as part of the purpose of life. They define the world as an imperfect creation where our five senses only view the superficial dimension of life. On this level, truth is hidden and we struggle to make sense of how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. But, they explain, there is a reality beyond the superficial appearances that we encounter every day. The imperfections of the world are not a mistake but are there by design.
This world we live in is the world the Chassidic masters call klippahs, or “shells” (like peels or nut shells). Why shells? Like the peels of fruit, vegetables, or nuts, they cover something that is hidden within them. They create an appearance on the outside of something that is not necessarily reflective of what is on the inside.
Let’s learn a life lesson from a fruit. We see the outer peel but we know there is something inside that we can benefit from. The same thing applies to the “shells” and “peels” of life. In fact, the great variety of fruits and nuts reflects the great variety of obstacles and challenges that we face in life. Sometimes we have to deal with small problems that have easy solutions, and sometimes we are faced with great challenges that take years to resolve.
Similarly, fruits and nuts have all types of peels and shells. A grape, for instance, has a skin that is edible, the same color as its interior, and at times is almost translucent. This is typical of those problems we face where what we see is what we get and we know what we’re facing without any hidden agendas. The color of a peach’s peel is different than its core, but the peel is easy to penetrate. Oranges and bananas have thicker peels that better hide an edible interior.
We can continue with other fruits that have even harder peels, which protect and hide the food to a greater degree. Then we arrive at the nut category, where the shell really becomes solid; for example, the walnut’s interior is totally disconnected and the hard shell seemingly has no relationship to the fruit. This represents difficult events in life, or quandaries, where the dimension of truth is hidden deep inside, seemingly totally removed from what it appears to be on the surface.
Such is the nature of life that we are constantly forced to make a judgment as to how to peel off the externals to get to the core of a situation, which is often so different than the way it appears.
The same principles apply to understanding people. Some people are like grapes, not hiding anything but truly pure. Others, due to their history or other influences, have a thin outer cover which deflects the viewer from seeing their inner self. However, the interior and exterior are not so far apart from each other. Then, on the other extreme, you find those individuals who have a very hard shell on the outside that is difficult to pierce. Such individuals project a personality to the public that is totally foreign to the real person inside.
Each of us falls into one of these categories. We all wear different “peels” or “shells,” which sometimes can change in different circumstances. We can be complex individuals and still be in touch with our inner self. When we have scars from events in life, or we create a web of lies about ourselves and our past, we often harden our outside, which can create a great distance between our true self and the person people know us to be.
Perhaps now we can better understand the great role that a grape plays in Judaism, and why wine has a powerful spiritual and religious role. The grape does not hide that which is on its inside. And since a grape is the same on the inside and the outside, it is therefore a fruit we should all try to emulate. Next time you make Kiddush, think about what you are drinking.
Rabbi Tuvia Teldon is the regional director of Chabad Lubavitch of Long Island. He can be reached at rabbi@chabadli.org. For more information and inspiration, visit www.chabadli.org or Facebook.com/RabbiTeldon to view his weekly broadcasts.
