The story is told of a woman who approached R’ J B Soloveichik complaining about the fact that women do not wear tzitzit. She said that she felt she was lacking the spirituality and the aura created by wearing this special garment. After listening to her argument he decided to give her a pair of tzitzit to wear.
Several weeks later they met. The women thanked him profusely for imbuing her with extra spirituality in her life. Now it was R’ Soloveichik’s job to break to her the sad news, “The tzitzit I gave you were posul (invalid)! Even if women where supposed to be wearing tzitzit, wearing this garment would have constituted an transgression – a four cornered garment with no halachic tzitzit! Your sense of spirituality he said is completely out of tune with Torah defined spirituality”.
In this week’s Parshah the Netziv expounds this very point. We read about the eighth day of the inauguration of the Tabernacle and how Moshe summons Aharon and his sons to bring all the animals that were needed for the service. Having done so – but before being instructed to offer them up – there is a seemingly stray verse, “Moshe says, “this is the thing that Hashem has commanded you to do; then the glory of Hashem will appear to you””.
They had already done all that Moshe had asked them to do, namely bring all the animals, what then was Moshe referring to?
To complicate matters the Netziv cites the Midrash on this verse: “Remove the evil inclination from your hearts, so that you will all be with one fear of G-d, one service of G-d. Just as Hashem the only One in the world, so to your service to Him will be the one service…. If you have done so, then ‘the glory of Hashem will appear to you’”.
What does the Medresh mean, and how does it have any relevance to the verse?
Explains the Netziv: there were fractions within the Jewish Nation, of people who were tremendously driven by their love of Hashem. An example of some of these people is the two hundred and fifty men who joined the Korach rebellion against Moshe. Their burning desire to become close to Hashem led them to offer ketores (frankincense) – an act reserved only for the Kohanim and hence they perished.
It was groups of such well intended Jews that Moshe was addressing here. The offerings being instated here were to be an amazing display of Hashem’s Glory, yet they were warned that only through the prescribed way from Hashem Himself can spirituality be achieved.
In the words of R’ Isaac Bernstein, “no ends can ever justify the means. The only means to spirituality and attachment to Hashem is through the means and the way Hashem commanded us”.
You may think that davening morning services at 7AM is not conducive to the best attentiveness. Often one is too sleepy first thing in the morning. One could quite convincingly argue that morning services at 11AM is a much better idea – and I’m sure there would be many followers to this ‘religion’! However if 11AM morning services is out of the Halachic boundaries, then no matter how spiritual you could ‘make yourself feel’ by davening then – your davening is anything but that.
There is no free-styling in Judaism! If it’s the way Hashem wants it then good, otherwise drop it – no matter how noble the intent.
I remember the first windows computer. There was a game [if you could call it that nowadays!] called “Skifree” where you had to ski down the slopes. There were three paths to chose from, slalom, freestyle and timed. Whereas in the slalom and timed path you had to achieve something – either beat the time, or go in-between the posts; with freestyle there were no rules. The results? The achievements? None! That’s exactly what freestyle spirituality will get you – nowhere!
This is how the Netziv understands the Midrash we quoted above. Justifying the means according to the ends, will end up with many different fractions and split-offs from the original religion that Hashem set up. Therefore the Midrash warns us remove this “evil inclination” and unify your service of Hashem. Only though this will the glory of Hashem appear to you.
Rav Hirsch eloquently brings the Gemora which derives from our very verse the law that the corresponding verses of the offerings were read out aloud during the procedure. Omission of this reading invalidated the offering. “For by reading from the Torah, the fact was driven home, that it was no subjective human idea that was being carried out, which could be altered or abrogated according to the feelings or wishes of the bringer, but was solely the directions and commands given by G-d Himself”
How apt that this week is also Parshas Parah – when we read about the unexplainable law of the red heifer. The bottom line behind all of Judaism practices, is that what He commanded is done, otherwise not.
We also read this week about the laws of kosher animals. It has been explained that non kosher animals are physically damaging to the body. Others have explained that they are spiritually damaging to us. While both of these reasons are true – they are some of the ends to which eating kosher leads; the ultimate answer as to why keep kosher is not based on the ends (our speculative reasons) but because Hashem sets the rules. Only He prescribes our path to spirituality.
Good Shabbos,
Yaakov
