|
|
May 23, 2003/Iyar 21 5763, Vol. 55, No. 39
Even trivial acts help repair world
Torah study
RABBI PETER S. KNOBEL
Bechukotai/Leviticus 26:3-27:34
Focal Point
"If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments ... I will be ever present in your midst: I will be your God, and you shall be My people." (Leviticus 26:3, 12)
"But ... if you reject My laws and spurn My rules, so that you do not observe all My commandments and you break My covenant ... I will set My face against you: you shall be routed by your enemies, and your foes shall dominate you." (Leviticus 26:14-15, 17)
D'var Torah
The rewards for observing the covenant are extravagant, and the punishments for disobedience are even more extravagant. This is an example of biblical theology, which declares that the Israelites' history is related to their behavior and fidelity to the covenant.
The Rabbis have traditionally read history through this same theological lens, a point of view that can be very dangerous, since it explains all of the tragedies in Jewish history as punishment. This mode of thinking has caused some Orthodox theologians to interpret the Shoah in a similar manner.
As a liberal Jew, I am repelled by the concept that victims of the Shoah can in any way be held morally responsible for their fate; but at the same time, I do not want to dismiss the concept that behavior has serious consequences.
If we take the perspective of Jewish mystics who see all of existence as one, then we recognize that everything is connected and, therefore, everything we do makes a difference.
The creation myth of the 16th-century mystic Isaac Luria describes creation as having begun with an act of divine contraction called tzimtzum. But as God-light flowed into the void created by the contraction, a cosmic disaster occurred called sh'virat keilim, "the breaking of the vessels." Some God-light returned to God and some was separated from God by clinging to the broken shards.
Performing mitzvot has the function of lifting up the sparks and restoring them to their source. This act is called tikkun olam, "repair of the universe." The term tikkun olam is often limited by liberal Jews to describe social justice, but as used by Lurianic Kabbalah it means that everything we do has the potential to increase the wholeness of the universe.
Our goal ought to be to perceive everything we do as being in service to God. There are infinite possibilities behind actions that seem to be trivial.
By the Way
The not-holy does not, in fact, exist; there exists only the not-yet-hallowed, that which has not-yet been liberated to its holiness, that which (they) shall hallow. (Martin Buber, "The Origin and Meaning of Hasidism," p. 171)
Your Guide
- How do we sanctify everyday actions and events? How do we remind ourselves that every moment is an opportunity to redeem the world?
- The Torah portion seems to say that God rewards and punishes us for our actions and that this is the only context in which our history can be understood. The Talmud teaches that God shares our pain. Can we bring these two concepts together so that we understand that everything we do makes a difference not only to us but also to God?
Peter S. Knobel is the senior rabbi of Beth Emet The Free Synagogue, Evanston, Ill. Torat Hayim, produced by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, is on the Internet at www.uahc.org/growth.
|
