Everything Has a Purpose
Rab Judah said in Rab's name: Of all that the Holy One, blessed be He,
created in His world, He did not create a single thing without purpose.
Thus, He created the snail as a remedy for a scab; the fly as an antidote
to the hornet's sting; the mosquito crushed for a serpent's bite; a serpent
as a remedy for an eruption. and a crushed spider as a remedy for a scorpion's
bite. 'A serpent as a remedy for an eruption':what is the treatment? One
black and one white serpent are brought, boiled to a pulp and rubbed in.
-Shabbath 77b
Commentary: Our ancient sages knew quite well that everything has
a purpose and that all things are intertwined. This, of course, is a fundamental
tenet of today's science of ecology. As a consequence, we also have a fundamental
duty to be very concerned about the extinction of any plant or animal.
Furthermore, each of us has our own purpose in this life and a contribution
to make to the betterment of this world. A good exercise for meditation
and self-reflection is to sit quietly and let yourself become aware of your
inner purpose for this particular life.
