Community Rabbi Corner, Feb. 21, 2020

Rabbi Mendel Solomon
Chabad at Short Hills
Short Hills, New Jersey
Parashat Mishpatim

What does it mean to live Jewishly?
 
In a regular line-up, the sergeant was going through all the cadets.
Cadet Smith: “Yes Sergeant.”
“What’s your religion Cadet?”
“Christian Sergeant.”
Cadet Mohammed: “Yes Sergeant.”
“What’s your religion Cadet?”
“Muslim Sergeant.”
Cadet Cohen: “Yes Sergeant.”
“What’s your religion Cadet?”
“Well my family goes to temple a few times a year, and I am still not sure if I believe in G-d but…,” the Sergeant paused him and called out, “Jewish.”

If there is anything universal about being Jewish, it is that we struggle with our own identity. What does it mean to be a Jew? Are we primarily an ethnic group? Predominately a religion? Is what binds us together just a shared history or trauma? Is it our love for Israel or chopped herring?
Though I am not here to answer the thousand-year-old question on one foot, I believe an interesting insight can be found in our current Parsha Mishpatim.

We just read the main narrative of Moses taking us out of Egypt and finally becoming a nation. And yet, what is the first thing we are given? Mishpatim - commandments. And how do we respond? Collectively we proclaim, “Naaseh Va’Nishma,” “We will do and then we will listen.”
Obviously certain guidelines are important, but shouldn’t we have responded, “We will listen (connect) and then we will do (perform)?”

Shouldn’t we first focus on the core of what religion should be, a spiritual connection with G-d, and after that perform the commandments, the fine details? The Hebrew word for commandment is מצוה, yet a deeper interpretation stems from its true meaning of צוותא וחיבור, a connection or bond.

Mishpatim – laws, are not to be viewed merely as a set of do’s and don’ts, but rather as guidelines to help us connect. But why do we need guidelines? Why isn’t our love of G-d and fellow man sufficient?

Ask anyone who has succeeded to implement a certain regiment into their lifestyle, whether it is to a workout routine, to refrain from an addictive substance, or even to enhance their relationship with a loved one, and they all know the one secret none of us want to hear – discipline. Emotions are fluid and motivation is fleeting. In order to really implement change - material, emotional, or spiritual - we need to embody it in consistent action.

This allows us to appreciate the richness of how B'nai Yisrael responded with the words of “Naaseh Ve’Nishma,” that “We will first commit to action, and then we will listen and ask why.”
We were finally ready for the real redemption – our personal freedom, but in order achieve that, we needed to start accepting a discipline even if we didn’t fully understand or connect to every part yet.

This is also best expressed with the upcoming holiday of Purim. The raison d’etre, the main focus of Purim is to be happy. And yet we are not commanded to be happy, but rather to do acts of kindness - the mitzvot that pertain to Purim. True connection and spirituality is found in our day-to-day actualization and performance.

This Shabbat, as we bless the new month of Adar - the month of joy and celebration - I want to bless everyone that we should all find our own purpose and connection in a most real and tangible way.

When we implement Purim’s message of happiness into our daily discipline, we enhance our connection both to Ahavat Hashem, the love of G-d, and Ahavat Yisrael, the love of our people and for all humanity.
 
Shabbat Shalom V’Chodesh Tov.
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