Templates For The Ages

There is the familiar story of three people looking at the same thing. One sees a pile of bricks. The second sees a wall. The third -- the wisest of the three -- sees a part of a sacred building.What you see depends on who you are. History can be a muddle of unrelated events, or it can be a template, a pattern that enables one to understand not only the past, but the future. It depends on the person, on his wisdom and perceptiveness, and on the tradition through which he filters events.Rabbi David Cohen, spiritual leader of Congregation Gvul Yaabetz in Flatbush, is one of the most distinguished and respected rabbinic leaders and halachic authorities of the Orthodox community. His knowledge, his judgment, his ability to relate seemingly unrelated laws and events to form a coherent pattern are dazzling.