This week, the Torah makes us uncomfortable. It tells us something that we don’t want to hear: that there are harsh consequences if we turn away from G-d and His Torah. We are His nation, and our lives and successes depend upon remembering this. The Ohr HaChaim reminds us that we’ve heard this before, in the Torah portion Bechukosai at the end of Leviticus. Why does the Torah repeats the curses, at double the length — and, unlike the first time, not follow with words of consolation?
He explains that the first set speaks to us as a nation, in the plural, leaving open the possibility that we might get the wrong idea: as long as part of Israel is doing the right thing, perhaps HaShem won’t be concerned about those doing evil. Thus the second set speaks to us as individuals — and, of course, the Torah cannot guarantee that every individual will experience, in this world, the consolation of Israel that follows. The Torah reminds us once again that every individual Jew is part of the entire nation, and we are all responsible for each other.
Recently, two Rabbis wrote op-eds debating the importance of intent versus practice. The first Rabbi argued that a person on a path of growth is “on the spiritual scale, light years beyond those who go through the motions.” The second countered that “putting too much emphasis on intention… [can] mislead people into thinking that the intent is equal to, or even more important than, the act itself.”
They are both right.
It is obvious that both the one who is filled with spiritual feelings of closeness to God yet does not act upon them, and the one who performs the Commandments but without feeling or devotion, suffers from a profound lack. Both of these things must travel together.
At the same time, however, we cannot minimize the accomplishment of being “halfway there.” The first Rabbi wrote his reflections after speaking with a woman who felt tremendous spiritual motivation, yet felt that a particular area of Jewish practice (which he left unspecified) so intimidating that she felt unable to move forward. And she felt unable to do even that with which she was fully comfortable, because of the philosophical hurdle she had yet to overcome. And on the other side, those who lack inspiration inevitably feel their observance falling away, because doing a ritual without feeling can leave a person simply feeling worse than before.
In both cases, a person’s bad inclination is trying to convince him or her not to do the right thing. Every single positive step has tremendous value, and that includes both the person who prays with sincerity but does not fully observe, and the person who observes everything but lacks emotion. Focusing upon the negative simply leads a person to a feeling of hopelessness, while placing our attention upon the positive leads us to aim higher in the future.
When I founded Project Genesis over two decades ago, I recall speaking to a Rabbi who was and remains one of the leading figures in Jewish outreach. Unlike many others, he was not enthusiastic. He said to me: “the goal of Jewish outreach is to help an uninformed Jewish person go from 0 to 1000. What you are doing can only help a person from 0 to 1!”
The years that followed proved him mistaken, in that many people found their Jewish lives tremendously enriched even if their sole source of inspiration came via the Internet. [Many of you have shared stories with us; I hope that if you are reading this and have a story of your own growth through Torah.org and other programs, that you will send it to us, either privately or in the comments.] But that was not why he told me, nearly a decade later, that he had changed his mind. Rather, it was the realization that one is infinitely greater than zero.
Every step up has tremendous value, and must inspire us to continue to grow in both spirituality and practice, every day of our lives.
I’ll gladly share my story. I converted to Judaism 40 years ago, it was my desire to do so. My husband’s family only attended the High Holydays and that was all.
I longed for more and there was no help for me in fact every time I celebreted any festival Jewish they mocked me for wanted to be more Jewish than them. After 16 years of marriage came divorce and wa on my own trying to practice by reading books then I met some Jewish people that were messianic jews and they helped me understand a lot of things but left me confused in so many others. I remarried and my husband shared my belief although he was not Jewish. Then I discovered Internet and websites were you can learn to your hearts content, “I was home” my husband converted to Judaism. He is dying now of pancreatic cancer and still nobody takes us seriously, but we are so blessed to belong to the house of Israel thanks to you.
Shalom,
For me, practice and intent are two sides of the same coin. Sometimes, we act because we know it is the right thing to do (or perhaps not do) even though it may be contrary to what we desire. Sometimes, we act because our actions are merely an extension of who we are within the depths of our hearts. Given that life is a journey of experience and growth, it seems that all of us juggle that coin for virtually every area of our lives. The juggling process begins with each life experience, an opportunity to learn, and grow, if you will. HaShem has given us the authority to choose His path or to choose our own. Whether we act on our own desire, or HaShem’s, we will learn something that changes our perspective of reality. If we choose HaShem’s path, it will shape us in a way that draws us closer to Him. If we choose our own path, it will take us in a different direction. In other words, every life event, perhaps hundreds every day, changes our motivations, our intentions, the way we view life and the world around us. In essence, every life event changes who we are as human beings. In fact, who we are today is a direct consequence of the choices we have made over a lifetime. The good news is if we do not like where we are standing today, we can make different choices knowing that the choices we make today will ultimately sculpt us (i.e. our motivations and intentions) into the person we will become many years from now. This is why it is so important to find truth and to act on it. By making choices (i.e. acting out) today that are consistent with what we desire to become, those actions will ultimately transform us into that person. Once we have become the person we desire, our motivations and intentions will no longer hinder us from embracing truth, but rather will become a springboard that draws us to truth. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT “ACTION” IS THE CHISEL THAT “SCULPTS” US INTO THE PERSON WE DESIRE TO BE! MOTIVATION AND INTENT ARE THE FINISHED PRODUCT!
ABM