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When we begin to familiarize ourselves with the practices of Judaism called Mitzvot, we realize that each Mitzvah has many details and parameters that define the proper implementation of the Mitzvah. The are time parameters (we don’t observe Shabbat on Tuesday). There are space parameters (a Mezuzah must be placed on the right doorpost, at the bottom of the top third). There are parameters of substance (we don’t cook meat and dairy together). There are parameters of attitude (we must love G-d with all our heart). There are parameters of volume (for a Mikvah to render one pure it must contain a minimum of 40 seah – 120 gallons of rainwater). You get the drift.

The question is, “Why does G-d care?” The truth is that there is a broader question of “Why does G-d care what we do altogether?” Why does the Al-Mighty creator of the universe take interest in the insignificant actions of little me or you? Are we suffering from delusions of grandeur to believe that our choices matter to Hashem?

The answer is love. G-d established a relationship of love with us, not just the collective us, but each and every individual. At Mt. Sinai, when He declared, “I am the L-rd your G-d,” He spoke in singular form, addressing Himself to each one individually. When you love, what your beloved does for you matters.

Let us examine a beautiful passage from the Talmud. Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya said: “The Holy One, blessed be He, wished to make the people of Israel meritorious; therefore He gave them Torah and Mitzvot in abundant measure, as it is written: ‘The L‑rd desired, for the sake of his [Israel’s] righteousness, to make the Torah great and glorious.’”

Hashem wants to give us merit. Therefore, he gives us Mitzvot in abundant measure, filled with detailed parameters. As we pay attention to the details and follow the parameters of the Mitzvot, our merit increases.  The Hebrew verb, L’zacot – to make meritorious, also has another connotation. L’zacot, can also mean to refine or polish. So in fact, with Mitzvot and their details, Hashem is giving us opportunities for self-refinement, the ability to polish ourselves into the finest version that we can be.

That is a lot of love!

The Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe once remarked regarding the requirement to wait six hours after eating meat before one can consume dairy, Hashem watches and waits 5 hours and 59 minutes to see His beloved remain faithful to the parameters of the six-hour wait. That one minute makes a difference to Him as much as the six hours.

Feel the love! Feel the caring! Feel the interest! For Hashem loves you with an infinite love that only He is capable of.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

In the opening words of this week’s Torah portion we read, “Say to the priests, the sons of Aaron—you must say to them (no one may ritually defile himself).” Rashi comments on the redundancy, “say… you must say” and explains that this comes to teach that the adults must be cautioned about the minors (that they too avoid ritual impurity).

This is one of the instances where the Torah encourages education of children. Education is key to continuity, in our case Jewish continuity. Education has always been an integral part of Judaism and the Jewish way of life. Jewish law teaches that as soon as a child has awareness, parents should teach the child verses of Torah and the practice of Judaism.

Education can take various forms, generally broken down into two categories, negative and stern or positive and uplifting. Successful education usually contains a blend of the two, love and discipline. A lot depends on the personality of the educator as well as that of the student.  

As we consider the balance of discipline and love, we take guidance from our sages who tell us “With the left (weaker) hand we push away (discipline), and with the right (stronger) hand we draw near (love).

How do we know if we have been successful in finding the proper balance and blend of love and discipline? For that we explore the beautiful insight that Chassidus offers on Rashi’s comment cited above on our Parsha. The Hebrew word for caution that Rashi uses is “L’hazhir.” The other connotation of L’hazhir, is Zohar – radiance or illumination. You want to know what successful education looks like? If it causes the child to shine and be illuminated. Does it bring out the light of their soul and personality? Does it place them in a space where they are focused on their light rather than their darkness? Then you know you are on the right track.

In truth, this principle applies to the education of adults as much as children.

I am blessed to be surrounded by generations of successful educators. I was raised by educators. I am married to an educator. Together we have raised children who are educators. My life experience confirms this teaching (not that truth needs my confirmation). Successful education equals radiance.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

Last week I heard a radio interview with Dr. Kelsey Johnson, an astrophysicist at the University of Virginia. She was talking about what motivated her to keep probing and researching things that we have not, up until this point in time, been able to wrap our minds around. She did not get into religion, although G-d did come up in the discussion. I suspect, although I could not ascertain, that she is not an atheist. She said something to the effect of this. To our current knowledge, we are the only beings in the universe who are aware of their place in the universe and are aware of what they know and do not yet know. As such we must remain curious and seek to learn and discover as much as we are able. She left G-d out of the equation in that conversation, but a person of faith would come to realize that the more we learn about the universe, the more we appreciate about the Creator.

As I heard her words, it reminded me of a conversation between another scientist who was probing the cosmos, NASA’s Dr. Velvl Greene, and the Rebbe. Dr. Greene was part of the Mars Project. As he became more involved in Judaism and started to live a more observant lifestyle, he was told by some, that searching for intelligent life on other planets was a conflict with the Torah. He brought this dilemma to the Rebbe who assured him the opposite was the case. The Rebbe declared, “You should look for life on Mars, and you should keep looking for life on Mars. If you don’t find it, then keep looking elsewhere, and do not stop looking, because to sit here in this world and say there is no life elsewhere is to put a limit around what G-d can do. And nobody can do that!”

In Psalms there are two verses that are often quoted as the impetus for humans observing “Niflaot Ha’boreh” – the Wonders of the Creator. One is from Psalm 92:6, “How great are Your works, O L-rd.” The other is from Psalm 104:24, “How manifold are Your works, O L-rd!” When we encounter the diversity of species of plans and animals, on land and in the oceans, one declares “How manifold are Your works, O L-rd.” When we learn more about the intricacies of the human body, the profundity of the genome system, the value of every element within every cell, we declare “How manifold are Your works, O L-rd.”

When we become aware of the vastness of the universe, discovering more and more about the cosmos, appreciating how much we don’t know or understand, we declare “How great are Your works, O L-rd.” The more advanced one’s awareness is in the sciences of physics, biology, and astronomy, the more profound one’s sense of humility ought to be before the greatness of the Creator.

What King David is telling us with these two verses is that the universe is our telescope to the Creator. Our discoveries and the awareness that we develop should leave us in awe at the great power of the Creator. This notion should leave us thirsting for more and more.

If this is true about the physical universe, how much more so when we think about the spiritual cosmos and the limitless levels of Divine Manifestation. If this is true about the body, how much more so about the intricacies of the soul. Developing greater awareness in these areas should certainly awaken a sense of awe, leading us to declare, “How great are Your works, O L-rd” and “How manifold are Your works, O L-rd!”  

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin