Star of Unity
כוכב האחדות
Cause & Effect
The very first lesson and warning the Creator gave Adam and Chava was about the law of "Cause & Effect."
The Creator told them they were the cause of everything that happens in nature and warned them not to eat from the forbidden tree because if they did, nature would be doomed.
This means if they act weak, nature will follow and act weak too, and if they act strong, nature will follow and act strong as well.
In other words, the Creator told Adam and Chava that what they witness in nature is their nature or the "reflection" of their behaviors.
By not obeying the Creator and eating the forbidden fruit Adam and Chava acted weak, and as the Creator had warned them nature became weak too. Adam and Chava didn't have to work hard before the sin; after the sin, they had to work hard to produce food.
Adam and Chava were created on the sixth day of creation to demonstrate that they are the "cause" since six in Hebrew means AND. It's the symbol of connecting for continuity because whenever we want to continue, we connect with the AND word, which becomes the "cause" of continuity.
Interestingly enough, the Hebrew letter wov ו, which means AND, consists of a "body" and a "head," representing humans.
Adam was also the cause of naming all the animals that were created from dust. The Creator asked him to name all the animals and rule over them.
Since Adam was created from the same source as animals, a spark of all the characteristics of animals created from dust were concealed within him and therefore he had the knowledge to connect with his inner side and select the appropriate name for each animal.
In other words, the Creator told Adam to recognize his animalistic treats within him and rule over them.
That's why the Serpent did not approach Adam directly and used Chava to fool him. He was aware Adam named him according to his manipulative behavior and therefore he knew he had no chance of success.
Yes, humans' behaviors will have an impact on nature somehow...
If humans take advantage of their power against the weak, strong animals will follow and also take advantage of their power against the weak. In our cities, forest law has never been more visible.
If humans become invaders and don't recognize their borders, animals will follow and also become invaders and won't acknowledge their borders. We have been witnessing wild animals invading our cities for years not realizing it is because humans became invaders.
If humans become homosexual, animals will follow and also become homosexual. A study done in San Fransisco showed that some animals have turned gay.
If humans become kind to others, animals will follow and also become kind to others. We witness this kindness in some animals, especially in dogs all the time.
If humans become evil, the animals will follow and also become evil or carry humans' sins. That's why, in Noah's time, when the creator killed evil people, He also killed the animals, since they were affected by the law of "Cause & Effect." For the same reason, Pharaoh's horse and his army's horses were killed when they followed the Jewish people into the sea.
If humans have the power of speech, it could affect their animals too. We notice this power in parrots all the time. Torah tells us that Bilam's donkey could actually speak. Yes, you read that right. You might think this is a made-up story but based on the law of "Cause & Effect", it's possible. Bilam had an "extraordinary" power of speech. Therefore, his donkey was affected and was able to talk. The angel opened its mouth, he did not give the donkey power of speech Bilam did.
If humans become meatarians, animals will follow and also become meatarians. Humans and animals were all vegetarians before the flood of Noah. For this reason, Noah was able to feed all animals vegetables for forty days in his ark. After the flood, once humans started killing animals for food, strong animals followed and killed weak animals for food too. So if you witness a wild animal preying on a weak one, you know whom to blame.
If humans commit sins, their belongings may also be affected or carry their sins. That is why the Creator instructs us to bring our (affected) kosher animals and sacrifice them to free us from our sins. With that said, if you experience a financial loss, most probably it's a sacrifice and therefore you should not stress yourself about it. Torah tells us that Korah's belongings were also taken by the earth when he sinned. This is an indicator that his belongings were also affected by the law of "Cause & Effect."
The law of "Cause & Effect" teaches us that, because we humans are created to be the "cause," taking advantage of our powers for wrong reasons will work against our physical and/or spiritual growth.
A good example is that when humans take advantage of their powers against animals for food, unless they are offerings, they may be affected by all those sins upon the animals and thereby diminish themselves spiritually.
Another good example is that when humans take advantage of their powers and kill animals to fill up their stomachs, wild animals will follow and take advantage of their powers against the weak ones to kill and fill up their stomachs too, which is of course destructive and against the will of our Creator.
Above all, animals are considered pets to our Creator. He made us in His image so that we understand Him. Yes, they are His pets, and He loves and cares for them too just like we love and care for our pets. Taking advantage of our powers against them for the wrong reasons will not go unpunished. What would you do to someone who killed your pet and ate it as regular food?
That is why the Creator has commanded us to be in control of our bodily desires and to eat His pets only when we have a (strong) desire for meat or when we are allowed to eat them and not as a routine practice.
A must-read - find out why the Creator allowed Noah to eat animals for food in my article called "Pacifier".
Keep in mind that eating animals won't elevate you... Learn to elevate yourself.
You are created to be the "cause" of everything that happens in nature, and therefore, once you improve your behavior or elevate yourself, animals will follow and also become elevated.
Yes, we live in a world shaped by our behaviors.
But life should not be like the way we are experiencing it.
When we witness wildlife not behaving peacefully, it is only because humans are not behaving peacefully.
Remember that almost everything the creator shows us is about showing our behavior to us since that's the only way we can reach our potential.
The law of "Cause & Effect" helps us see the reflection of our behaviors in nature like a mirror and thereby correct our mistakes.
Yes, nature is our best teacher.
The Creator did not change nature after He created it; humans did. We are the cause, and we are responsible for restoring nature to the time it was created.
And yes, we do have the power to change nature...
If we change our nature, nature will change for us.
Bahram Cohanfard
