Jewish High Holydays: Hide and Seek

Hide & Seek

The game of Hide and seek is not obviously an unknown game to any child. It is a game that is based on one person hiding and others searching for the hidden person. Not only children enjoy playing this game, adults also have fun playing this hunt game. The main fun lies in finding out the hidden mates.

However this game of hide and seek is played in daily life as well with real mysteries added to it. Thus there exist two different grown up versions of this game. One is the normal hide and seek that goes between father and his little child. The other is the type that goes on when the police are searching for a wanted person.

Apart from this kind of hind and seek, there exist another form of this game, which G-d plays with us in reality where He is always hiding and we are always seeking Him throughout the trappings of nature. But why is it so difficult for us to get hold of Him?

Well, the answer to this question is dependent on the level of understanding the two versions of hide and seek that have been mentioned earlier.

The version of the game mentioned above is between the father with his child where the father is hiding and the child is searching for his father. This game of Hind and Seek is laced with some moral values for the father wants the child to discover him. But how this game is helpful? Well because it creates a delight in both the father and the child and thus helps to strengthen their bond of love.

However in the second case, the case of the fugitive who is being sought by the police, the fugitive does not want to be discovered by the police, nor does the police really want to catch the fugitive because they have a personal desire to catch him. They only want to catch him because it is a part of their job, thus they are bound to oblige it. This is just how the police make a living. They get paid for finding the fugitives.

Thus the two cases mentioned above are contradictory to each other for they have different emotions attached with, for in the case where the child is seeking his hidden father, the child is searching him not because in return he anticipates a reward but because he wants his father back who is still hiding. Thus he is in search of his father because that offers him delight. But in the case of the fugitive, the police are desperately eager to get hold of the fugitive not because they personally like the fugitive but because that will fetch them a hefty amount as well they might be promoted to a higher rank. Thus if the fugitive give a slip to the policeman then they are to lose a large sum of money. Thus the policeman makes desperate attempts to find the fugitive out. However the intensity of both the search remains the same in both cases.

But one should make note of the point that if the fugitive really want to slip from the clutches of the police then they can easily bribe the police so that they pose as if they were unable to find the fugitive. In a way the police will be able to make money. The child, however, who sincerely loves the father, is harder to bribe. Since his enjoyment lies in being together with the father, and that is his reward, then a small bribe will not help divert the child.

And in case the child gets distracted midway, the father makes sure that the child’s intentions remain intact, he does not get distracted and thus with all possible attempts the father tries doing something so that in a way it paves the way for the child towards the father. But on other hand the fugitive will surely not help the policeman in their search.

Thus in a similar way, G-d also hides from us. Many people seek him, yet few really prove themselves coming close to him. Why is it so? The reason is there lays a vast difference between the dedication of the seekers. And those who are sincerely dedicated are the successful one who actually gets a glimpse of the divine.

How Bribes Work

Basically we are all compound beings; we possess various desires which are of various forms. For a person may have a desire to be thin and beautiful and but at the same time desires to eat fattening foods. But which desire will win? Keeping all the outside influences being equal, it will be dependent on which desire is the stronger, for in the example of the policemen, they have a desire to earn money, maintain their job position, preserve a social rapport with their fellow workers, etc. However if their desire for money is stronger than their other desires, then it is likely they will be tempted to take a bribe. However if he catches the fugitive it is not because he motivated to detain the fugitive for his own reasons, but rather for external reasons, i.e. it is part of his job.

Thus if the seeker is truly motivated in his search because of the reward that he will receive, then G-d rewards him with a bribe. Perhaps he will bribe him with a reward in this world such as letting him become a Rabbi or other distinguished person.

However if the seeker is motivated by pure intentions and he wishes to be close to G-d, then he is not easily bribed to stop looking.

How Do We Find Him?

Since that we have established an understanding on how to seek him, now let us understand the means to find him!

In the mentioned example it was said that when the child is getting too far from the father, the father, who desires to be found will definitely do something to attract attention of his child towards. Perhaps if he is hiding behind a curtain, he will move the curtains, thus in a way making an indication, or if he is hiding a in a closet he may move the door thus causing a small squeak. Thus when the child sees the curtain moving in a room with a window closed, he may at the first instance take it as a mere coincidence. And if he thinks in this manner he will not be able to find the father.

However, if the child really wants to discover the whereabouts of his father, then no movement that has a coincidental reason will go without investigated. The moving of the curtains especially in a room with no open windows will surely draw his attention.

Similar is the case between us and G-d for He hides and we have this constant desire to seek. He causes nature to move and wiggle. We can overlook the symptoms and thus call it a coincidence or else we can look deeper into the circumstances. We can then only realize that there are no coincidences. G-d guides the universe and thus rules nature. It is for us to see God in nature, how He influences the various occurrences. Once we have mastered the ability to see Him in nature, then we may begin to see him above nature.

Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Succoth

The high holidays are thus the times to renew our search for God. It is the time for reflection and deepening our dedication to our search and thus considering those events that have passed before us. Hence it can be said with each if these holidays the awareness towards the divine search becomes more vivid and intense.

For Rosh Hashanah reminds us that God is still the creator and master of the universe. The laws of nature and the fate of man are all His creations.

Yom Kippur is the holiday that informs us that God does not want to remain hidden anymore. Though we are sinned being but he is willing to erase our sins and return to us but only if we are truly able to seek him.

Succoth, together with Simchat Torah, is that time for rejoicing for we have got hold of Him. Thus together we sit in His abode, the Succah, and we dance with his present to us, the Torah scroll.

Thus finally the game of hide and seek ends with true dedication and devotion and thus what remains is merriment and prosperity.