The Loneliness of God and men

From Tales of the Hasidim by Martin Buber 

p. 89 Tale entitled "The Two Strangers" (about Rabbi Barukh of Mezbizh) 

"In the hundred and nineteenth psalm, the psalmist says to God:  'I am a sojourner on the earth, hide not thy commandments from me.' 

Concerning this verse Rabbi Barukh said:  'He whom Life drives into exile and who comes to a land alien to him, has nothing in common with the people there, and not a soul he can talk to.  But if a second stranger appears, even though he may come from quite a different place, the two can confide in each other, and live together henceforth, and cherish each other. And had they not both been strangers, they would never have known such close companionship.  That is what the psalmist means:  "You, even as I, are a sojourner on earth and have no abiding place for your glory.  So do not withdraw from me, but reveal your commandments, that I may become your friend." 

(end of passage) 

Ultimately there is no intimacy greater than that between the soul and God, who metaphorically speaking, is the lover of the soul (e.g. as in the Song of Songs).  Human relationships are plagued with infant dramas, defense mechanisms, compensation, projection and blindness. Often, total strangers have a better chance of true closeness and transparency than people who are related by blood or friendship or marriage. Once on a train trip I witnessed the total freedom with which fellow travelers shared their most intimate secrets, fully revealing themselves, knowing that their interlocutors were people they would never see again. In this tale, the loneliness of a stranger in a strange land (Sh'mot/Exodus 2:22) is compared to the loneliness of a wandering, homeless God seeking the companionship of souls...and a tabernacle in which to dwell.  Thus the alienated soul becomes a companion to God, and God becomes the only truly close friend to it.

Complete Jewish Bible, David H. Stern: 

Luke 9:58 Yeshua answered him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds flying about have nests, but the Son of Man has no home of his own." 

Mark 6:4 But Yeshua said to them, "The only place people don't respect a prophet is in his home town, among his own relatives, and in his own house." 

During the agony suffered by Yeshua prior to his execution, he was abandoned by all his followers:  

Mattityahu (Matthew) 26:37 Grief and anguish came over him, and he said to them, "My heart is so filled with sadness that I could die! Remain here and stay awake with me."

Luke 22:43-44  There appeared to him an angel from heaven giving him strength and in great anguish he prayed more intensely, so that his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.

 

We are all always alone in our time of greatest need and despair, save for otherworldly aid and comfort. 

Mark 15:33-34  At noon, darkness covered the whole Land until three o'clock in the afternoon.  At three, he uttered a loud cry, "Elohi! Elohi! L'mah sh vaktani?" (which means, "My God! My God! Why have you deserted me?")

Yesha'yahu (Isaiah) 50:2 "Why was no one here when I came? Why, when I called, did nobody answer?" 

Yesha'yahu (Isaiah) 53:2-3 "He was not well formed or especially handsome; we saw him, but his appearance did not attract us. People despised and avoided him, a man of pains, well acquainted with illness. Like someone from whom people turn their faces, he was despised; we did not value him." 

More Tales: 

p.97 "Hide-and-Seek" 

Then tears brimmed in Rabbi Barukh's eyes and he said:  "God says the same thing:  'I hide, but no one wants to seek me.'" 

"Adrift" by William Thompson