Iyov 28

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It's Not Sold in Any Store!

Job continues:

"Everything has a beginning and an end, just like precious metals that are taken from the Earth and end up in the refinery. G-d will outlast both Heaven and Earth."

"Streams of fire and sulfur rolled over Sodom, destroying the evildoers who lived there. That land had once been a source of bread, but it became desolate, as if consumed by fire. It had been a place of jewels and riches, untouched by robbers and spies, nor did wild animals lurk there. What did G-d do? He overturned the mountains of Sodom."

"G-d brings rivers out of rocks" (as He did to give water to the Jews in the wilderness). "He gathered the waters together at the time of Creation and He brings light from the Heavens. But where can wisdom (i.e., Torah) be found? People don't appreciate its value, with the result that it is rare among humans. You can't find it in the sea and you can't purchase it at any price. Neither gold nor rare commodities can compare." (Job mentions pearls, coral, and many other desirable things as paling before wisdom.)

"So where does wisdom come from?" Job asks. "Not only is it hidden from man, it's hidden from the angels, as well. Only those who figuratively 'kill themselves' to acquire wisdom will hear what it has to say. G-d, of course, knows the ways of Torah, as He used it as the blueprint for creating the world. He satisfies the needs of the world, from one end to the other, weighing the wind and measuring the water. He calculated the world's requirements, then He looked in the Torah and meted them out. When He did, He cautioned mankind that deference to Him and avoiding evil are what constitutes wisdom."

Author: Rabbi Jack Abramowitz