EE & R, 2_16: Knowing Hashem: Man’s Crooked Heart and its Remedy

(For the previous installment of "Exodus, Exile and Redemption," click here. For ToC, click here.)

The heart is crooked more than all things, and desperately sick: Who can know it? I am Hashem Who searches the heart and examines the mind, to give to each according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds… Heal me, Hashem, and I will be healed… (Jeremiah 17:9-14)¹

Jeremiah’s stark depiction of humanity’s flaws captures the pathos of our spiritual struggle. Man’s heart is “crooked” and “sick.” Yet, the prophet offers hope – not through simple solutions, but through the transformative realization of the omnipresent gaze of Hashem, Who searches the heart and examines the mind. This chapter explores why such divine awareness is the only true remedy for the heart’s ailments and how it fosters profound moral and spiritual growth.

Jeremiah’s diagnosis ­– “The heart is crooked… Who can know it?” – points to a fundamental opacity defining the human condition: The heart’s secrets lead inevitably to moral decay. The human heart, enigmatic and unknown even to its bearer, is shielded from both external judgment and internal scrutiny, and thus lets moral compasses falter. Without the illumination of reason and ethical reflection, isolated hearts weave justifications that deviate from integrity. Evil people imagine they are good, man remaining lost from himself, unknown.

A direct approach to character perfection is impossible for the heart in its natural state; to become capable of attaining morality, the heart must first undergo transformative purification. Since moral decay thrives in obscurity, exposing our innermost selves to the light of divine scrutiny is essential. This exposure is achieved by embracing the reality that our thoughts and feelings are visible to Hashem, a divine perspective that allows us to critically evaluate our hearts.

Viewing our deepest thoughts through this divine lens transforms them, for only thoughts that align with divine virtues – kindness, justice and righteousness – will survive such scrutiny. Embracing and nurturing these purified thoughts leads to a wholesome and healed heart, mirroring Hashem’s purity. The sick heart exposed to light will heal and become whole, its thoughts and feelings limited to those that align with the cosmic good and are worthy of filling the universe entire, similar to the thoughts of Hashem Himself. Thus, the prophet calls out: “Heal me, Hashem, and I will be healed!”, for there is no path to healing but through cultivating an awareness of Hashem’s awareness.²

The first step on the Path to knowing Hashem is to see yourself from His perspective. To sense the invitation of “I am Hashem” is to hear, before all else, this message: Man! You are not alone; rather, you are known to your deepest inner core. This awareness will purify man’s character; purity of character will lead to faith; and faith will lead to the ultimate Knowledge.

(For the next installment of "Exodus, Exile and Redemption," click here.)

1. See the previous chapter for a discussion of these verses.

2. This spiritual exercise has been explored further here.