Three Dimensions of World

The world I experience is three-dimensional, despite mathematical assertions to the contrary. As I study more, however, I see that this three-dimensionality occurs in wisdom writings. In Aristotle's work titled On Rhetoric, he divides the world of communications into three dimensions: ethos (speaker), logos (idea) and pathos (listener). In Pirkei Avos, the famous Jewish text of wisdom, verse 1:2, states that the world is sustained by three dimensions: Torah study, avodah (service of the heart) and gemilut chassidum (bestowing kindnesses).

I see a relationship. In the construction of our "world," there is one axis of us relating with ourselves. This is a spiritual axis, as in ethos, or avodah. Then, there is a second axis of us relating with our fellow man. This is a physical axis of action, like pathos, or gemilut chassidum. Finally, there is a mental axis of ideas, like logos, or Torah study. For our world, individually or collectively, to sustain itself, study, external relations and interior health are all critical.

This does raise another issue. Where does "emotional" fit in? Some individuals, such as Bill W. of AA fame, seem to put the emotional on the mental axis. Aristotle seems to imply that the emotional is on the pathos axis, while the Pirkei Avos seems to imply that the emotional is a on the spiritual axis. My sense is that the emotional is the dot connecting to the intersection of the other three vectors, possibly explaining its volatility.

Tochacha

The Hebrew word tochacha is important to understand. Variously translated as rebuke, reproof or chastisement, tochacha seems harsh and undesirable. None of us like to be told that we have been or are wrong. Our egos are perfectionists, preferring to be right rather than happy.

Our goal, then, shouldn't be perfection, but growth. The reality is that we all make mistakes and are frequently wrong. In order to make a stepping stone out of these stumbling blocks, a different translation for tochacha may be more helpful to this growth process. For me, a better translation would be "illumination," as that indicates its core kindness.

There are two sides to tochacha - the receiving and the giving. Receiving "illumination" is not easy. Our egos often interfere. Sometimes we're just not ready. After forty long years in the desert, Moses told the Jews, "but God did not give you a heart to know, or eyes to see, or ears to hear until this day." If it took the Jews forty years to get it, we should be patient with ourselves.

In turn, such patience can help us when we give tochacha. Just as with money, giving tochacha is much harder than receiving. As a friend of mine says, "no good deed goes unpunished." By recognizing that "illumination" occurs beyond our control, we can patiently wait for it to be requested. We are not responsible for another's outcome - only for our availability. Further, by understanding tochacha as "illumination," our requested help may be less forced.