More Steadfastness

We live in a time when life feels topsy-turvy both at the local level and at the international level. Nonetheless, we retain control over our thoughts, words, and deeds.

We can, for instance, renew our commitment to the derech eretz. More exactly, we can recognize and act on the vast difference between theory-based religious fervor and actual obedience to Hashem.

Loyalty to the Aibeshter is not necessarily mind-blowing. In Judaism[, it’s not always] something breathtaking, something gripping, something whereby to express [our] unrest and dissatisfaction… Judaism is revolutionary. It attempts to throw off the yoke of the established order of indifference and meanness and inhumanity and nihilism both within society and the nation—and within man himself; the entrenched authority of temptation, of egotism, or arrogance. But this revolution requires people who are inspired, not incendiaries. It requires long endurance, not dramatic one-time battles; a willingness to risk living, not only to risk dying. Judaism requires a world-shaking flair for the undramatic (Lamm).

Unfortunately, over and again, we’ve tripped over our passions.

Whereas, to the same degree, much of present-day Am Yisrael takes to heart our obligation to live in a Jewish State [sic] and not in a non-Jewish State [, i]ndeed, everyone is influenced by his environment, and therefore must decide by whom he is to be influenced—by Jews and Judaism or by gentiles and their religions…our main influence upon mankind is meant to be implemented not as individuals but as a national example in the framework of the State of Israel in the Land of Israel. (Shvat).

In other words, many of us shy from leaping into the life designated for us. It’s challenging. It commonly lacks grandeur. Nonetheless, doing so, e.g., living in Israel, abiding by G-d’s will, is an available option.

“Why does G‑d grant man choice? To elevate him to a higher plane of Divine service…The good which man manages to spread in the world thus becomes his own doing. He is not merely a recipient of Divine favor; he makes a contribution of his own” (Touger). So, viz., by making aliyah, we elect to partner with The Almighty. In accepting this partnership, we accept the rigor and fortitude it entails.

It’s undeniably demanding to choose such dedication. As far back as Gan Eden, we found out that spiritual ascension requires effort and that not all goodness is enveloped in flashiness. Consider that when “Chava/Eve dealt with the tree [she] saw she could benefit from it…so [she didn’t connect] to its root/inner source…sometime beauty is just there to be acknowledge[d,] sometimes holiness is there just to be in awe and not for [‘]what can I use this holiness towards[’] (Katz). In essence, as Chava discovered, we ought to recognize Hashem’s way not for the “thrill” of righteousness, per se, but because we’ve been roused to act in His approved manner.

Cogitate, as another example of our erroneously chasing all that glitters, the story of Nadav and Avihu. Rabbi Ari Kahn writes, in “The Sons of Aaron: Sinners or Saints,” that Moses describes Nadav and Avihu as those who are close to God. In Rashi’s understanding, the inference is to those who were closest to God. Moses tells Aaron that he had thought that either he or Aaron would have to die in the establishment of the [Mishkan] but in the end it turned out to be Nadav and Avihu. (Kahn).

Meaning, Nadav and Avihu’s enacted indignation (although promptly quashed) hadn’t formed straightaway, unlike that of Phinehas ben Eleazar and Nashon ben Amminadav. Nadav and Avihu’s actions were premeditated whereas Phinehas ben Eleazar and Nashon ben Amminadav’s weren’t. The former calculated personal glory while the latter followed their heartfelt reverence for Hashem’s commandments. Although the former’s deeds might have appeared virtuous, their objectives were immoral. The latter’s deeds as well as their objectives were honorable.

Along a similar path, deliberate how our overthinking caused problems for the original aliyah. When Hashem consented, to Moshe, for the spies to go and scout out the Land, their reconnaissance was not supposed to be about what Am Yisrael could get out of Eretz Yisrael, but [about] how much they might love what Hashem loves, what Hashem always looking [a]t (from Dvarim) [The] Land of Israel is a place at which Hashem is looking all the time (Katz).

Meaning, just as we, Am Yisrael, behaved at Har Sinai, saying “We will do and [then] we will hear” (what’s required of us), today, we must demonstrate emunah, not analyze it. All in all, any enthusiasm that we ground in “pious” suppositions continues to be unequal to any genuine, unexamined, compliance we manifest with Hashem’s word. We must act in accordance with Torah and not cherry pick halacha if we’re to live uplifted lives and if we’re to improve the world.

That is, in addition to being Lions of Judah, i.e., to being literal warriors, we need to be the court of Moshiach, to be individuals immersed in learning and acting according to Torah. Such an enterprise might be tedious, even discouraging, but it remains  our obligation. Our increased allegiance to Hashem, i.e., our steadfastness to His desire, not to fame, fortune, nor any other sparkly temptation, wills always be correct.

Sources:

Kahn, Rabbi Ari D. “The Sons of Aaron: Sinners or Saints.” AISH.com. aish.com/48923142. Accessed 14 Jul. 2023.

Katz, Rabbi Shlomo. “Learning How to Look at the Land of Israel.” “The Soul of Israel.” The Land of Israel Network. 14 Jun. 2017. thelandofisrael.com/view/1132.  Accessed 22 Sep. 2023.

Lamm, Rabbi Norman. “A Flair for the Undramatic.” The Lamm Archives. 19 Jun. 1965. archives.yu.edu/gsdl/collect/lammserm/index/assoc/HASH9068.dir/doc.pdf. Accessed 24 Jun. 2024.

Shvat, Rabbi Ari. “The Centrality f Eretz Yisrael to Judaism.” Machon Meir. 27 Feb. 2023.machonmeir.net/centrality-of-eretz-yisrael-to-judaism. Accessed 16 Jun. 2024.

Touger, Rabbi  Eli. “The Power of Sight: Re’eh.” Adapted from Likkutei Sichos. Vol. IV, p. 1339ff; Vol. XV, p. 44; Sefer HaSichos 5750, p. 631ff;  Sefer Sichos 5751, p. 767ff; and Sichos Shabbos Parshas Re’eh, 5745. Chabad.org. chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/82733/jewish/In-the-Garden-of-the-Torah-Reeh.. Accessed 20 Jul. 2023.