I LIVE AS I SEE FIT

“Perhaps there is among you a man or woman, or a family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from being with Hashem, our God, to go and serve the gods of those nations; perhaps there is among you a root flourishing with gall and wormwood. And it will be that when he hears the words of this imprecation, he will bless himself in his heart, saying, “Peace will be with me, though I walk as my heart sees fit” – thereby adding the watered upon the thirsty.” (Devarim 29:17-18)

In our parsha, Moshe gathers the entire nation together to bring them into a covenant with God. This is the second covenant the Israelites have entered into with God, the first being the one at Mt Sinai (see Devarim 28:69). Every person present at the gathering, as well as their future descendants, were party to the covenant. The point of the covenant is “in order to establish you today as a people to Him and that He be a God to you…” (verse 12). Moshe warns the nation to think twice about rejecting the covenant and seeking out foreign gods. He reminds them about their travels in the wilderness and the various idolatrous people they came into contact with, all of whom served deities of wood, stone, silver or gold. These gods were false and impotent. There would be no point in pursuing them or following their customs and laws. Nevertheless, Moshe addresses those who might entertain the thought of abandoning God and the Jewish people. He describes them as saying to themselves, “Peace will be with me, though I walk as my heart sees fit.” In adopting such an attitude, they are “adding the watered upon the thirsty.” What is meant by this unusual phrase?

Rashi explains that “watered” refers to someone who has imbibed a great deal of intoxicating liquid and is drunk and unable to think rationally. “Thirsty” is someone who has not yet consumed any alcohol and whose mind is clear. Thus, when someone justifies abandoning the covenant and lives a life “as he sees fit”, without regard to Hashem’s laws, God will treat his unintentional sins (“watered”) in the same way as his intentional sins (“thirsty”). Usually, a great deal of leeway is given to those who commit sins unintentionally. This is referred to as shogeg in Hebrew and such a transgression could be as a result of ignorance of the law and its severity. A person might sin because he has no idea that what he is doing is forbidden. And even if he does know that it is not allowed, he might transgress because he cannot control his desires. In such cases, God is forgiving. But once a person justifies his bad behaviour and excuses it because he has chosen to live “as he sees fit”, God is far less forgiving and will then add the transgressor’s unintentional sins to their intentional sins.

There are essentially two ways a person behaves when faced with a law that gets in the way of his chosen lifestyle. The first is to acknowledge that the law exists but that he is not ready or willing to accept it. The second is to justify his failure to observe the law by explaining why it does not apply to him. There is an interesting story in this regard that features a very insightful comment of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, of blessed memory (see the full story at www.chabad.org).

Hebert Weiner grew up in Boston in the 1920s and 1930s, without any Jewish education. He later became active in Hillel, the Jewish organisation on campus, and in Akiva, a Zionist organisation. As a result, he became interested in Torah observance and in moving to Israel to work the land. However, World War II intervened. He served in the Merchant Marine, and after the war was over, he enrolled in a progressive rabbinical school, the Jewish Institute of Religion, where he was ordained as a Reform rabbi and where he became interested in Kabbalah. He founded a Reform congregation, Temple Israel in South Orange, New Jersey, and also dabbled in journalism. That is how he had his first encounter with the Rebbe—in 1955, in the course of writing an article about Chabad-Lubavitch for Commentary magazine. The Rebbe granted him an interview, and he was exceedingly kind and attentive in answering his many questions. He went home profoundly impressed, but also had more questions. He was eager to meet the Rebbe again, and he did. He also attended Chabad gatherings – farbrengens – at which the Rebbe spoke. Finally, he felt he had enough material to write an article about the Chabad movement. He wrote two long articles which Commentary published. The public reaction was very gratifying, and even Time magazine responded with a positive review. Weiner noted, “At that time, Chabad was beginning to branch out, and already had quite a few centres throughout the U.S. and in other countries too. This was in accordance with the Rebbe’s directive to “spread the wellsprings” of Chassidism. And I have no question that I was also a means to this end. Indeed, I myself became Chabad, in essence, though I remained a Reform rabbi and continued serving my congregation. In a sense, the Rebbe treated me as his “emissary in the Reform movement.” He specifically asked that I always stand up for Torah whenever I could, and try to add mitzvahs to the observance of the Reform movement wherever I could.”

On another occasion, he was discussing with the Rebbe the differences between Chabad and the Reform or Conservative movements. The Rebbe remarked that when you ask a question in Jewish law of a Reform or Conservative rabbi, his answer will take into account every possibility—he will tell you that you can go this way, you can go that way, you can do this much, you can do more, you can do less, and in the end you will be invited to make your own choice, and you will be told not to feel guilty about making such a choice. As the Rebbe said, “The great fault of Conservative and Reform is not that they compromise, but that they sanctify the compromise, still the conscience, and leave no possibility for return.” Whereas, when you ask such a question of a Chabad rabbi, his answer will take into account your potential. He may also present you with options. If you cannot fulfill every mitzvah at this time, he may give you the option of doing what you can do now, and gradually trying to do more—to eventually fulfill what is asked of you by God. The Rebbe returned to this theme again and again—encouraging him to take whatever steps he could to gradually increase his observance and help others do the same.

Lee, Chani Merryl & Naomi join me in wishing you Shabbat Shalom & Ketiva V’chatima Tova!  

Rabbi Liebenberg.

Rabbi’s YouTube message: https://youtu.be/Zdqsi8PysD4?si=dmaif4ZzsPRk1nTA

For Rosh Hashanah: https://youtu.be/8ZSxpt_KAAc?si=M1xnhDuPgaQ6UoIe

FAST OF GEDALIAH – Thursday 25 September / 3 Tishrei

After the First Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and most of the Jews were exiled, the Babylonian king left a small population of Jews in Israel and appointed Gedaliah ben Achikam as governor. The King of Amon who despised the fact that a remainder had been left in Israel dispatched Ishmael ben Netanyah, a Jewish man, to assassinate the new leader, which he did on the day after Rosh Hashanah. The news of Gedaliah’s death struck panic into the hearts of the citizens of Israel who feared a backlash from Babylon. Most of them fled and the land was left desolate. The Sages enacted a fast on this day to recall this terrible incident and its awful ramifications. The fast begins at 05h17 and ends at 19h03. Shacharit will begin at 06h30 with Selichot, and Mincha will be at 18h00 followed by Maariv.