The Torah isn’t Linear
A “Second Pesach” was instituted in response to the petition of; “why should we be deprived” by a group of Jews who were unable to bring the Pesach offering in its appointed time because they were ritually impure. Yet why is it God’s “fault”? There was an instructed policy and the people missed out; is that God’s “problem” enough that something had to be instated? I don’t know the answer to this question, but I do know that religion, connection to God and connection to oneself is not linier.
I was on the train last week and while in discussion with a friend of mine, a fellow soldier sitting next to my friend piques up and asks; “Isn’t something Kosher or not Kosher?” Happens to be, we were in the middle of discussing the level of Kashrut of a particular Kashrut organization and what to do when one is in a situation that one either eats the food from not the most reputable kashrut organization or doesn’t eat at all, which was followed by the question of, “Is it Kosher or not”.
The answer is that it’s somewhere in the middle. But how can that be? Isn’t the Torah and its 613 commandments “rulebook” clear? Yes, the Torah is clear, but that doesn’t mean it is stiff and unworkable. There is so much room in the middle for creativity, personalization and magic. Think שבעים פנים לתורה (read; the 70 faces of Torah) in the fact that the destination is the goal and how one decides to get there, is the way that works best for them personally.
Additionally, regarding the rules themselves, there is wiggle room within the system without negating any of the rules, similar to democratic governments court systems that we know of today. The court systems are a set of rules and regulations that have been built up over the centuries, however there is a lot of room for maneuverability within those sets of laws. The major difference is that the court system can change its laws overtime through an amendment or whatnot, versus the Torah laws are eternal.
May we appreciate the Torah not as a stiff set of rules and regulations, but as an instruction manual for living the best possible life.
Shabbat Shalom!