Parshas Kedoshim
Nothing To Fear
By Rabbi Pinchas Avruch
"G-d spoke to Moshe saying, 'Speak to the entire assembly of the Children
of
Israel saying, "You shall be holy, for I, G-d your L-rd, am Holy."'"
(Vayikra/Leviticus 19:1-2) The achievement of a level of piety, of devout
G-dliness, which most would associate with the acquisition of holiness, is
no small chore. Yet we are promised that G-d does not give us any mitzvos
(Divine commands) that we cannot fulfill. How do we fulfill this one?
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (1) explains that the essence of this command is one
of awareness. We are mandated to recognize that each of us has inherent
holiness owing to our acceptance of the mitzvos of the Torah at Sinai.
Thus,
we understand the core of the blessing recited before the fulfillment of
many mitzvos, "...asher kideshanu bemitzvosav..." - who has sanctified us
with His mitzvos - the mitzvos infuse us with holiness. Indeed, notes Rabbi
Feinstein, the wording of the blessing teaches us that the converse is true
as well: if not for the holiness instilled within us, we would not have
permission to fulfill the mitzvos even on a voluntary basis. This holiness
is our very license to utilize the mitzvos to build our relationship with
G-d. But now that we possess this holiness, we must not let it be in vain;
it is incumbent upon us to capitalize upon it.
How do we motivate ourselves to realize the full glory of our latent
holiness? King Solomon taught, "Fortunate is the person who always fears."
(Mishlei/Proverbs 28:14) The Talmud (Brachos 60a) explains that this
statement applies to the realm of Torah. Mesilas Yesharim (2) expounds that
we are given manifold opportunities throughout our lives to build our
relationship with the Divine. The strength of the relationship is defined
by
the frequency of our utilization of these means and the degree to which we
maximize the potential of each opportunity. Therefore, King Solomon
extolled
the "fear" of losing or not fully utilizing a chance to forge this
relationship. But one who successfully maintains a consciousness of his
inherent holiness and the power of a mitzvah has nothing to fear.
Have a Good Shabbos!
(1) 1895-1986; Rosh Yeshiva/Dean of Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem in New York
City; the leading Halachic/Jewish legal decisor of his time and one of the
principal leaders of Torah Jewry through much of the last century
(2) "Path of the Just", one of the most popular Mussar (introspective
Jewish
self-improvement) works in Jewish literature; a moving, inspiring work
describing how a thoughtful Jew may climb the ladder of purification until
he attains the level of holiness; authored by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto,
1707-1746 of Padua, Italy, and Amsterdam
Text Copyright © 2005 by Rabbi Pinchas Avruch
and Torah.org.
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