It happens on occasion that when I ask someone to do a Mitzvah, such as laying Tefillin or shaking the Lulav and Etrog, the reply is “I don’t want to do something in which I do not believe.” They are telling me that they would regard it as hypocritical to do the Mitzvah since they do not believe that it has any value.
In fact recently I was told by a Jewish inmate who has refused me for years, that while he would be open to putting on Tefillin in gratitude to me for coming out to visit, he did not feel it was right since he didn’t believe in it.
So is there such a thing as hypocrisy in Judaism? I am not asking if there are hypocrites that are Jewish. I am specifically referring to whether it can be hypocritical to do a Mitzvah if one does not believe in it.
Let’s see how two great Jewish thinkers address this question. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi and Moses Maimonides both disagree with the notion that this is even a consideration.
Rabbi Schneur Zalman writes “that Jew neither wants to nor is capable of being separated from Hashem.” Therefore, he argues, the inner core of every Jew wishes to remain at one with G-d. Now since G-d gave us the Torah and Mitzvot as a means to remain connected to Him, we must conclude that the natural and true desire of a Jew is to do the Mitzvah.
Maimonides addressed this from a legalistic standpoint. There are certain Jewish obligation that must be dispensed willingly. The Rambam argues that the Jewish court is allowed to use not so gentle persuasion to bring the person to declare “I want to do it” so that the Mitzvah is carried our willingly. “How can this be so?” he asks. His conclusion is “deep down the true desire of a Jew is to do what Hashem wants. It is only that the Yetzer hara (evil inclination) is clouding the person’s vision of what they really want. So when the person declares “I want to do it” they are speaking the truth.
Another Jewish philosophical work, Sefer Hachinuch, teaches that the heart follows the actions. Meaning that when we do something over and over we can begin to feel it as well. This is the basis for so many action based Mitzvahs.
Just this morning I had a conversation with someone who shared with me that, while he questioned whether laying Tefillin would have any meaning for him, once he did the Mitzvah and started committing to it on a regular basis, it brought about a lot of positive changes for him. He has since purchased his own set and Tefillin has become an immovable part of his daily routine.
So I would conclude that there is no such thing as hypocrisy when it comes to doing a Mitzvah. As Nike puts it, “just do it” and eventually things will fall into place. Furthermore, resisting the Mitzvah is actually being unfaithful to your true self. That may very well be hypocrisy…
Mazel Tov to Dr. David and Nechama Kaufmann upon their daughter Chanah’s engagement to Yaakov Hellinger.
Mazel Tov to Emily and Jon Lissauer upon the Bris of their son, Lev Ari.
Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin