Parshat Eikev: Struggle for observance

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By Rabbi Avi Billet

Issue of August 7, 2009 /17 Av 5769

Abe and David were long-time study partners (chavrusas). One day Abe asked David to sign a document as a witness and was shocked when David declined: “Sorry Abe. I can’t be a witness because I’m actually not Jewish.”

“What do you mean you’re not Jewish? We’ve been chavrusas for 15 years! You’re the frummest guy I know.”

“Nevertheless,” David said, “the fact is that I’m not Jewish.”

“Dave,” Abe countered, “you, of all people, know very well that a non-Jew is not supposed to keep Shabbos. I know you are scrupulous in your observance. Now, explain how you’re ‘not Jewish.’”

“Well, you don’t know this,” David said, “but I’m always carrying my house key in my pocket on Shabbos.”

“So what? We have an eruv! You’re allowed to carry.”

“Yes,” David said. “But I don’t trust that eruv.”

Each person’s level of observance is relative. People who appear to be identical in practice may, in fact, be at completely different stages in their religious development, depending on the path they’ve traveled to get to this particular point. Those who continue adding to their repertoire of obedience to the guiding principles of Jewish law are personally on an upward growth ladder. Those who may have been in a stricter environment and choose a more moderate middle ground might or might not be on a downward slide; they may simply be finding themselves and a form of halakhic Judaism they find comfortable.

These who actively ask questions and seek answers are on an admirable journey.

The Torah tells us in the beginning of chapter 8: “You must safeguard and keep the entire mandate that I am prescribing to you today. You will then survive, flourish, and come to occupy the land that G-d swore to your fathers. Remember the entire path along which G-d your Lord led you these forty years in the desert. He sent hardships to test you, to determine what is in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”

Which one is more binding? “You must safeguard the mandate” (meaning “commandments”) or G-d tested you “to determine what is in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not?”

There are many today who opt to say, “I am still deciding whether I want to keep commandments. Some of them fit into my lifestyle but some don’t agree with me, and I don’t agree with them.” This is not referring to minute details such as whether one first faces to the right or to the left when turning one’s face during kedusha. Rather, it refers to more global Jewish traits such as modesty in lifestyle and dress, honesty in business and speech, and choosing Jewish values over Hollywood values.

The Seforno explains that “testing to determine what is in your heart” was in order for those feelings to be made known to angels. They ought to know that, in judgment, humans have greater merits than angels, as their knowledge of G-d comes from a lifetime spent struggling with questions of faith and meaning.

Angels don’t have such challenges. Humans do. Angels are told what to do, and they do it. Humans have free will.

Netziv quotes the Talmud Avodah Zara 5b, which teaches that some people take 40 years to understand the teachings of their mentors. Depending on how you define teachings and mentors, this could refer to forty years of studying, which might begin at age 5, or forty years under the guidance of someone you choose as your teacher, which might mean your high school teacher, rosh yeshiva and shul rabbi combined.

All this suggests that the choices we make in our lives are supposed to be a struggle and are supposed to jump in different directions, because we are meant to be struggling with our Judaism and finding what works for us. If the Babylonian Talmud is correct in the assertion that we don’t “truly” understand until after 40 years, then many people don’t arrive at true understanding until they reach the age range of 45-65.

While each person has a different path to travel, hopefully all roads lead to the same place. The goal we can share until we get to that place, however, is to view the struggle as an important part of our personal development. As long as we do not remain stagnant, and we continue to allow ourselves the opportunity to explore, to find the form of religious expression that works for us within a framework that has a source and a basis, we are on the right path.

This applies whether you were born into Judaism, came back to it, or picked it up along the way; whether you carry a key in your pocket because you do or you do not trust the eruv.