Jackie Tabick: The balancing act of compassion

Translator: Natalia Pérez Bermejo Reviewer: Noemi Casadesus Viola

One of my favorite cartoon characters is Snoopy.

Un dels meus personatges de dibuixos preferits és l'Snoopy.

I love the way he sits and lies on his kennel and contemplates the great things of life.

M'encanta com jeu a la seva caseta i rumia sobre les grans coses de la vida.

So when I thought about compassion,

Quan em vaig parar a pensar en la compassió,

my mind immediately went to one of the cartoon strips,

el primer que em va venir al cap va ser una tira

where he's lying there and he says,

on està jagut i diu:

"I really understand, and I really appreciate

"Reconec i comprenc perfectament

how one should love one's neighbor as one love's oneself.

perquè hauríem d'estimar els altres com ens estimem a nosaltres.

The only trouble is the people next door; I can't stand them."

L'únic problema és que, els altres, no els puc ni veure."

This, in a way, is one of the challenges

D'alguna manera, aquesta és una de les dificultats

of how to interpret a really good idea.

de com interpretar una bona idea.

We all, I think, believe in compassion.

Tots nosaltres, crec, creiem en la compassió.

If you look at all the world religions, all the main world religions,

Si us fixeu en totes les religions del món,

you'll find within them some teaching concerning compassion.

veureu que en totes s'ensenya a ser compassiu.

So in Judaism, we have, from our Torah,

Per exemple, en el judaisme la Torà ens diu que

that you should love your neighbor as you love yourself.

hem d'estimar els altres com ens estimem a nosaltres.

And within Jewish teachings, the rabbinic teachings, we have Hillel,

I entre els ensenyaments jueus i rabínics, trobem a Hillel, que diu

who taught that you shouldn't do to others what you don't like being done to yourself.

que no hauríem de fer als altres el que no volem que ens facin a nosaltres.

And all the main religions have similar teachings.

I totes les religions principals ensenyen coses semblants.

And again, within Judaism,

També en el judaisme

we have a teaching about God,

se'ns diu que Déu

who is called the compassionate one, Ha-rachaman.

és anomenat "El Compassiu", "Ha-rachaman".

After all, how could the world exist without God being compassionate?

Al cap i a la fi, com podria existir el món si Déu no fos compassiu?

And we, as taught within the Torah that we are made in the image of God,

I nosaltres, que segons la Torà som fets a imatge de Déu,

so we too have to be compassionate.

també hem de ser compassius.

But what does it mean? How does it impact on our everyday life?

Però això què vol dir? Com ens afecta en la nostra vida diària?

Sometimes, of course, being compassionate

Evidentment, de vegades ser compassiu

can produce feelings within us that are very difficult to control.

ens pot fer sentir coses molt difícils de controlar.

I know there are many times when I've gone and conducted a funeral,

Molt sovint, quan he assistit o he oficiat un funeral,

or when I have been sitting with the bereaved, or with people who are dying,

o quan m'he segut amb gent que estava de dol, o amb algú a punt de morir,

and I am overwhelmed by the sadness, by the difficulty,

m'aclaparen la tristesa, els problemes

the challenge that is there for the family, for the person.

i les dificultats que hauran d'afrontar els familiars.

And I'm touched, so that tears come to my eyes.

I m'emociono tant que em poso a plorar.

And yet, if I just allowed myself to be overwhelmed by these feelings,

I, tanmateix, si em deixés vèncer per les emocions,

I wouldn't be doing my job --

no tindria aquesta feina,

because I have to actually be there for them

perquè precisament jo els he d'ajudar

and make sure that rituals happen, that practicalities are seen to.

i tenir cura dels rituals i els aspectes pràctics.

And yet, on the other hand, if I didn't feel this compassion,

Però d'altra banda, si no sentís aquesta compassió,

then I feel that it would be time for me to hang up my robe

sentiria que ha arribat el moment de penjar l'uniforme

and give up being a rabbi.

i deixar de ser rabina.

And these same feelings are there for all of us as we face the world.

I tots nosaltres sentim aquestes coses quan fem front al món.

Who cannot be touched by compassion

¿Qui no sent compassió

when we see the terrible horrors of the results of war,

en veure els terribles resultats de la guerra

or famine, or earthquakes, or tsunamis?

o de la fam, o dels terratrèmols o els tsunamis?

I know some people who say

Conec gent que diu

"Well, you know there's just so much out there -- I can't do anything,

"Mira, passen tantes coses que jo no hi puc fer res.

I'm not going to even begin to try."

Ni tan sols ho intentaré."

And there are some charity workers who call this compassion fatigue.

Alguns voluntaris l'anomenen "fatiga de la compassió".

There are others who feel they can't confront compassion anymore,

D'altres senten que no poden seguir afrontant la compassió,

and so they turn off the television and don't watch.

apaguen el televisor i no el miren.

In Judaism, though, we tend to always say, there has to be a middle way.

Però en el judaisme sempre diem que hi ha d'haver un terme mitjà.

You have to, of course, be aware of the needs of others,

Hem de pensar en les necessitats dels altres,

but you have to be aware in such a way that you can carry on with your life

però de manera que puguis seguir amb la teva vida

and be of help to people.

i ajudar la gent.

So part of compassion has to be an understanding of what makes people tick.

Així doncs, part de la compassió consisteix a entendre la gent.

And, of course, you can't do that unless you understand yourself a bit more.

I això és impossible si tu mateix no t'entens una mica més.

And there's a lovely rabbinic interpretation of the beginnings of creation,

Hi ha una interpretació rabínica molt maca sobre l'origen de la creació

which says that when God created the world,

que diu que quan Déu va crear el món,

God thought that it would be best to create the world

va pensar que seria millor fer-lo

only with the divine attribute of justice.

només amb el do diví de la justícia.

Because, after all, God is just.

Perquè, al cap i a la fi, Déu és just.

Therefore, there should be justice throughout the world.

Per tant, hi hauria d'haver justícia arreu del món.

And then God looked to the future and realized,

Déu va mirar cap al futur i es va adonar

if the world was created just with justice, the world couldn't exist.

que si només era fet de justícia, el món no podria existir.

So, God thought, "Nope, I'm going to create the world just with compassion."

Així, Déu va pensar: "No. Faré el món només de compassió."

And then God looked to the future and realized that,

I Déu va mirar cap al futur i es va adonar que,

in fact, if the world were just filled with compassion,

en realitat, si només omplia el món de compassió,

there would be anarchy and chaos.

hi hauria anarquia i caos.

There had to be limits to all things.

Tot ha de tenir un límit.

The rabbis describe this as being like a king

Els rabins ho descriuen com ser un rei

who has a beautiful, fragile glass bowl.

amb una copa de vidre fràgil i bonica.

If you put too much cold water in, it will shatter.

Si hi poseu aigua massa freda, es farà miques.

If you put boiling water in, it will shatter.

Si hi poseu aigua bullint, es farà miques.

What do you have to do? Put in a mixture of the two.

Què hem de fer? Una barreja de les dues.

And so God put both of these possibilities into the world.

I doncs, Déu en va posar de totes dues.

There is something more though that has to be there.

Però encara hi falta una cosa

And that is the translation of the feelings

que és la traducció dels sentiments

that we may have about compassion

que ens desperta la compassió

into the wider world, into action.

en un sentit més ampli, en l'acció.

So, like Snoopy, we can't just lie there

No podem quedar-nos quiets com l'Snoopy

and think great thoughts about our neighbors.

i tenir grans idees sobre els altres.

We actually have to do something about it.

Nosaltres hem de fer alguna cosa.

And so there is also, within Judaism, this notion of love and kindness

I també tenim en el judaisme el concepte d'amor i bondat

that becomes very important: "chesed."

que esdevé molt important. "Chesed".

All these three things, then, have to be melded together.

Les tres coses han d'anar juntes.

The idea of justice, which gives boundaries to our lives

La idea de justícia, que ens estableix uns límits

and gives us a feeling of what's right about life, what's right about living,

i ens diu què està bé a la vida, què està bé en viure,

what should we be doing, social justice.

què hauríem de fer, justícia social.

There has to be a willingness to do good deeds,

Ha d'existir la voluntat de realitzar bones accions,

but not, of course, at the expense of our own sanity.

però evidentment, no a costa del nostre seny.

You know, there's no way that you can do anything for anyone

De cap manera es pot fer res pels altres

if you overdo things.

si fem massa.

And balancing them all in the middle is this notion of compassion,

Equilibrant-ho tot trobem el concepte de compassió,

which has to be there, if you like, at our very roots.

que ha de sortir, diguem, de les nostres pròpies arrels.

This idea of compassion comes to us

Aquesta idea de compassió, la tenim

because we're made in the image of God,

perquè som fets a imatge de Déu,

who is ultimately the compassionate one.

que és El Compassiu per antonomàsia.

What does this compassion entail?

Què suposa aquesta compassió?

It entails understanding the pain of the other.

Suposa entendre el dolor d'un altre.

But even more than that,

Però molt més que això,

it means understanding one's connection to the whole of creation:

vol dir entendre la connexió que tenim amb tota la creació,

understanding that one is part of that creation,

entendre que som part d'aquesta creació,

that there is a unity that underlies all that we see,

que hi ha una unitat sobre tot el que veiem,

all that we hear, all that we feel.

escoltem i sentim.

I call that unity God.

Jo l'anomeno Déu.

And that unity is something that connects all of creation.

I que aquesta unitat connecta tota la creació.

And, of course, in the modern world, with the environmental movement,

I és clar, en el món modern, amb el moviment mediambiental,

we're becoming even more aware of the connectivity of things,

cada cop sóm més conscients de la connexió entre les coses,

that something I do here actually does matter in Africa,

que el que jo faci aquí sí que afectarà a l'Àfrica,

that if I use too much of my carbon allowance,

que si abusem de les emissions de carboni,

it seems to be that we are causing

pel que sembla, estarem provocant

a great lack of rain in central and eastern Africa.

que deixi de ploure al centre i a l'est d'Àfrica.

So there is a connectivity,

Així doncs, existeix una connexió.

and I have to understand that -- as part of the creation,

I ho he de comprendre com part de la creació,

as part of me being made in the image of God.

com part feta a imatge de Déu.

And I have to understand that my needs

I he d'entendre que de vegades les meves

sometimes have to be sublimated to other needs.

necessitats s'han de sotmetre a les d'altres.

This "18 minutes" business, I find quite fascinating.

La història dels 18 minuts, la trobo fascinant.

Because in Judaism, the number 18, in Hebrew letters,

Perquè al judaisme, el número 18 en lletres hebrees

stands for life -- the word "life."

vol dir "vida", la paraula "vida".

So, in a sense, the 18 minutes is challenging me to say,

D'alguna manera, els 18 minuts m'estan fent dir que

"In life, this is what's important in terms of compassion."

a la vida això és l'important pel que fa a la compassió,

But, something else as well:

però també alguna cosa més.

actually, 18 minutes is important.

En realitat, els 18 minuts són importants.

Because at Passover, when we have to eat unleavened bread,

Perquè a la Pasqua, quan s'ha de menjar pa sense llevat,

the rabbis say, what is the difference between dough that is made into bread,

els rabins diuen: "Quina diferència hi ha entre la massa amb la qual es fa el pa

and dough that is made into unleavened bread, or "matzah"?

i amb la qual es fa el pa sense llevat, "matzah"?

And they say "It's 18 minutes."

I la resposta és 18 minuts,

Because that's how long they say it takes for this dough to become leaven.

que és el que diuen que triga la massa en esdevenir llevat.

What does it mean, "dough becomes leaven"?

Què vol dir que la massa esdevé llevat?

It means it gets filled with hot air.

Vol dir que s'omple d'aire calent.

What's matzah? What's unleavened bread? You don't get it.

Què és "matzah"? Què és pa sense llevat? No ho agafeu.

Symbolically, what the rabbis say is that at Passover,

Metafòricament, el que diuen els rabins és que per Pasqua

what we have to do is try to get rid of our hot air -- our pride,

el que hem de fer és treure'ns l'aire calent, l'orgull,

our feeling that we are the most important people in the whole entire world,

pensar que som les persones més importants del món sencer,

and that everything should revolve round us.

i que tot gira al nostre entorn.

So we try and get rid of those,

I alliberant-nos de tot això,

and so doing, try to get rid of the habits, the emotions, the ideas

dels costums, les emocions, les idees que ens esclavitzen,

that enslave us, that make our eyes closed, give us tunnel vision

que ens posen una bena davant els ulls i no ens deixen veure

so we don't see the needs of others --

les necessitats dels altres,

and free ourselves and free ourselves from that.

ens alliberem a nosaltres mateixos.

And that too is a basis for having compassion,

Això també és essencial per a tenir compassió,

for understanding our place in the world.

per a entendre el nostre lloc al món.

Now there is, in Judaism, a gorgeous story

Al judaisme hi ha una història molt maca

of a rich man who sat in synagogue one day.

d'un home ric que estava segut en una sinagoga.

And, as many people do, he was dozing off during the sermon.

I, com molta gent, s'estava adormint durant el sermó.

And as he was dozing off, they were reading from the book of Leviticus in the Torah.

I mentre s'adormia, estaven llegint el Levític de la Torà.

And they were saying that in the ancient times in the temple in Jerusalem,

I estaven dient que antigament al temple de Jerusalem,

the priests used to have bread,

els sacerdots tenien pa

which they used to place into a special table in the temple in Jerusalem.

i sempre el posaven en una taula especial al temple de Jerusalem.

The man was asleep, but he heard the words bread, temple, God, and he woke up.

L'home dormia, però va sentir els mots "pa", "temple" i "Déu" i es va despertar.

He said, "God wants bread. That's it. God wants bread. I know what God wants."

I va dir: "Déu vol pa. Ja està. Déu vol pa. Ja sé què vol Déu."

And he rushed home. And after the Sabbath, he made 12 loaves of bread,

I va córrer cap a casa. I després del Sàbat, va fer 12 barres de pa,

took them to the synagogue, went into the synagogue,

les va dur a la sinagoga, va entrar-hi,

opened the ark and said, "God, I don't know why you want this bread, but here you are."

va obrir l'arca i va dir: "Senyor, no sé perquè voleu aquest pa, però aquí el teniu."

And he put it in the ark with the scrolls of the Torah.

I el va ficar a l'arca amb els escrits de la Torà.

Then he went home.

I va tornar a casa.

The cleaner came into the synagogue.

L'home de la neteja va anar a la sinagoga:

"Oh God, I'm in such trouble. I've got children to feed.

"Déu meu, m'he ficat en un bon embolic. Tinc fills,

My wife's ill. I've got no money. What can I do?"

la meva dona està malalta, no tinc diners. Què puc fer?"

He goes into the synagogue. "God, will you please help me?

Hi entra: "Senyor, ajudeu-me, si us plau.

Ah, what a wonderful smell."

Oh, quina bona olor."

He goes to the ark. He opens the ark.

Va cap a l'arca. L'obre.

"There's bread! God, you've answered my plea. You've answered my question."

"Pa! Senyor, heu escoltat les meves pregàries. M'heu respost."

Takes the bread and goes home.

Agafa el pa i se'n torna a casa.

Meanwhile, the rich man thinks to himself,

Mentrestant, l'home ric es posa a pensar:

"I'm an idiot. God wants bread?

"Sóc un ximplet. Déu vol pa?

God, the one who rules the entire universe, wants my bread?"

Déu, que domina tot l'univers, vol el meu pa?"

He rushes to the synagogue. "I'll get it out of the ark before anybody finds it."

Corre cap a la sinagoga: "El trauré de l'arca abans que ningú el trobi."

He goes in there, and it's not there.

I hi va i ja no hi és.

And he says, "God, you really did want it. You wanted my bread.

I diu: "Senyor, sí que el volies. Volies el meu pa.

Next week, with raisins."

La propera setmana, amb panses."

This went on for years.

I així durant molts anys.

Every week, the man would bring bread with raisins,

Cada setmana, l'home duia pa amb panses

with all sorts of good things, put it into the ark.

i moltes coses bones, i les ficava a l'arca.

Every week, the cleaner would come. "God you've answered my plea again."

I cada setmana, l'home de la neteja: "Senyor, m'heu tornat a respondre."

Take the bread. Take it home.

Agafa el pa i se l'emporta.

Went on until a new rabbi came. Rabbis always spoil things.

Fins que va arribar un rabí nou. Sempre ho espatllen tot.

The rabbi came in and saw what was going on.

Va arribar un rabí i va veure el que passava.

And he called the two of them to his office.

I els va cridar tots dos al seu despatx.

And he said, you know, "This is what's happening."

I els va dir: "Això és el que passa."

And the rich man -- oh, dear -- crestfallen.

I l'home ric es va quedar fet pols:

"You mean God didn't want my bread?"

"Voleu dir que el Senyor no volia el meu pa?"

And the poor man said, "And you mean God didn't answer my pleas?"

I l'home pobre: "I que tampoc va respondre les meves pregàries?"

And the rabbi said, "You've misunderstood me.

I el rabí va dir: "No m'heu entès."

You've misunderstood totally," he said.

"No heu entès res de res."

"Of course, what you are doing," he said to the rich man,

"Evidentment, el que tu estàs fent," li va dir a l'home ric,

"is answering God's plea that we should be compassionate.

"és respondre les pregàries de Déu perquè siguem compassius."

And God," he said to the poor man, "is answering your plea

"I Déu," li va dir a l'home pobre, "està responent les teves

that people should be compassionate and give."

perquè la gent sigui més compassiva."

He looked at the rich man. He held the rich man's hands and said,

Va mirar l'home ric i li va agafar les mans dient:

"Don't you understand?" He said, "These are the hands of God."

"No ho entens? Aquestes són les mans de Déu."

So that is the way I feel:

I això és el que sento jo,

that I can only try to approach this notion of being compassionate,

que només puc apropar-vos a la idea de ser compassiu,

of understanding that there is a connectivity, that there is a unity in this world;

de comprendre que hi ha una connexió, una unitat al món,

that I want to try and serve that unity,

que vull complir amb aquesta unitat,

and that I can try and do that by understanding, I hope,

i que ho puc aconseguir entenent, espero,

trying to understand something of the pain of others;

intentant entendre una mica el dolor dels altres,

but understanding that there are limits, that people have to bear responsibility

però sent conscient dels límits, que la gent ha de ser responsable

for some of the problems that come upon them;

d'alguns dels problemes que tenen,

and that I have to understand that there are limits to my energy,

i que he d'entendre on és el límit de la meva energia

to the giving I can give.

i la meva entrega.

I have to reevaluate them,

Les he de revalorar,

try and separate out the material things

apartar-ne les coses materials i

and my emotions that may be enslaving me,

els sentiments que em puguin esclavitzar,

so that I can see the world clearly.

per a poder veure el món amb claredat.

And then I have to try to see in what ways

I aleshores provar de veure com puc

I can make these the hands of God.

fer d'aquestes mans les de Déu.

And so try to bring compassion to life in this world.

I fer així que la compassió cobri vida al món.