You might be dissapointed
A few years ago a woman named Candice Payne make the entire internet laugh.
In case you’re not one of the over 24 millions people who watched her “Happy Chewbacca” video, I’ll give you a short recap. You’ll be disappointed, sorry but I’ll explain. Candice films herself sitting in her car after a trip making returns at Kohls. She then tells the viewers that she has purchased something great. She literally can’t hold back her excitement as she unwraps and puts on a Star Wars Chewbacca (hairy faced character) mask. Candice bursts into uncountable happy laughter.
Anti-climatic much? A woman puts on a mask and laughs – that’s it.
Her essential joy surpassed the level of intellect and reached the heart of viewers.
Mitzvot are divided into three categories, Mishpatim, Eidut & Chukim.
- Mishpatim are laws that are readily understood like the prohibitions against stealing, killing, or cheating in business.
- Eidut are mitzvot linked to something else like eating matzah on Passover, keeping Shabbat, or sitting in a Sukkah.
- Chukim are where things get serious! Chukim are mitzvot that defy rational understanding and are therefore observed solely because they were commanded by G-d. Examples include keeping Kosher, immersion in the Mikvah and “Shatnez” which is a prohibition against wearing garment made of wool and linen.
This week we read both Behar & Bechukotai. Bechukotai is etymologically related to the word “chukim.” Indeed the word “chukim” in the first verse is used as a general term to refer to all the mitzvot. Every letter in the Torah is of tremendous significance and so many things can be learned from each detail. Certainly referring to the entire body of mitzvot under the singular term “bechukotai” implies many lessons.
Why do I keep Kosher? It’s a mitzvah in the Torah. It’s not a healthier diet, it’s certainly not less expensive, better or in any way superior. Of course a bit of cultural conditioning has made keeping kosher easier and indeed kosher foods like chicken soup & matzah balls are appealing and other types of food off putting – but that’s just the icing on the cake the real reason is because it says so in the Torah.
Morality on its own can become grey and find itself on a sliding scale. In such circumstances having a super-rational objective commitment to certain types of behaviors cannot be underestimated – staying sane in an insane world.
When a person keeps all the commandments in the Torah solely because Hashem said so, they are nourishing a relationship with the creator that is so deep it surpasses the intellect and gets right to the essence. This is why I’m remembering the story about Candice Payne. Her joy was infectious and lit up the entire internet precisely because it was not intellectual. It could not be explained rationally.
I could reason all day long that a glass of room temperature water is the best way to hydrate – but when I sit outside on a hot summer’s day I crave ice-cold lemonade. Which one is the better choice? If I was a computer chip, I’d take the water since it will work most effectively – but alas this is just a metaphor because a glass of water would destroy the ‘invincible’ computer. Since I’m human, I’ll take the lemonade because that is what I actually want. Taste and desire in general are not born out of intellect, which is why it can sometimes defy the intellect. [Of course sometimes personal interest must yield to intellect].
It is with our depth of desire, infectious joy, overwhelming emotions and in general our true essence, that we are commanded to connect our Creator. This is why “Chukim” which require unadulterated faith are the quintessential mitzvot and bear reference to the entire body of commandments.
