Parshas Va'eschanan
This is in the merit of my grandmother Esther bat Mazal. May she have a speedy and complete recovery.
A note: Comments within double brackets, [[abc]], are notes I write for myself so that when I look back later on the topics I discussed, I see all the sources I looked at and how I understood them. Readers are encouraged to skip them.
Question:
"When you have children and grandchildren, and have been established in the land for a long time, you might become decadent and make a statue of some image, committing an evil act in the eyes of God your Lord and making Him angry. I call heaven and earth as witnesses for you today that you will then quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will not remain there very long, since you will be utterly destroyed" (Deuteronomy 4:25-26).
How do we resolve this contradiction?
Judaism, Sacrifices, and Pleasure v.s. Pain?
Although perhaps one should not objectively favor different sections of the Torah, subjectively liking some things over others is understood. I have always loved this week's parshah. In my opinion, it is extremely beautiful and it contains famous passages such as the Shema and the Ten Commandments. If one does not normally read over the weekly Torah portion, if one has the time this, I highly suggest doing. Its Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11. One can go to http://bible.ort.org/books/pentd2.asp?ACTION=displaypage&BOOK=5&CHAPTER=3 for a very readable translation.
As mentioned, this week's Torah portion contains the famous commandment "You shall love Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your resources" (Deuteronomy 6:5).
This passage raises many questions, what does it mean to love G-d, how can G-d command emotions, how does one come to love G-d, etc. These questions are not the focus of this devar Torah.
The Rambam describes love of G-d as follows:
"What is appropriate love? This is an extremely strong and profound love of God, so that one's soul is committed to the love of God and that one will be so preoccupied with it that one will appear to be lovesick, in which one's mind is perpetually occupied at all times with a particular woman. Apart from this, one's love of God has to be absolute and continuous, as we have been commanded: '...with all your heart and with all your soul.' Solomon said by way of example, 'For I am sick with love.' The entire Song Of Songs is exemplary of this concept [of the love of God]" (Hilchos Teshuvas 10:3).
According to the Rambam, loving G-d is an emotion, an emotion which controls our very being. And since true love (not infatuation) is extremely pleasurable, loving G-d must be even more pleasurable. Additionally, given that the Rambam said it must be "absolute and continuous", it logically follows that:
"The love of the Holy One, Blessed be He, will not be anchored in the human heart until man is completely enraptured by it and abandons everything else in the world other than it" (Hilchos Teshuva 10:6).
The Torah's command to love G-d requires us to abandon all else in the world. It is clear that loving G-d demands from us sacrifices, very real sacrifices. It requires pain.
But wait a sec! If loving G-d is pleasurable, how can it require pain? Are they not opposites?!
No they are not teaches Reb Noah Weinberg, founder of Aish HaTorah. Pleasure and pain go hand in hand, just ask parent! You see, if you ask a parent what his or her greatest pleasure is, you will undoubtedly hear his or her children. Ask the same parent what causes him or her the most pain and you will hear the same thing, the children! Its like the old saying, no pain no gain. Ok. So what's the opposite of pleasure? In truth, the opposite of pleasure is comfort for comfort's sake, sitting around doing nothing. Everything worthwhile requires pain. ( http://www.aish.com/literacy/judaism123/Five_Levels_of_Pleasure.asp)
But one can ask, since the Rambam says that loving G-d requires abandoning everything else, is there anything else in life that is worthwhile? Perhaps not but loving G-d according to the Rambam clearly requires one to enjoy life (Hilchos Deos 3:1).
There are many joys in life and G-d wants to experience them. And these true joys require pain.
I highly suggest others read http://www.aish.com/literacy/judaism123/Five_Levels_of_Pleasure.asp which Reb Noah Weinberg discusses different levels of pleasures and how to achieve them.
We Jews are to seek true pleasure. Yes, it requires pain but so what!
Shlomo Horowitz said that Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg said "It is hard to be a good Jew, but boy is it worth it!" ( http://burgncsy.org/index.php/weblog/comments/being_a_jew_is_a_great_deal_of_work_and_sacrifice/)
[[Halakhic Man, note 4, and pages 76-77]]
Have a good Shabbas
Mordechai
This is in the merit of my grandmother Esther bat Mazal. May she have a speedy and complete recovery.
A note: Comments within double brackets, [[abc]], are notes I write for myself so that when I look back later on the topics I discussed, I see all the sources I looked at and how I understood them. Readers are encouraged to skip them.
Question:
"When you have children and grandchildren, and have been established in the land for a long time, you might become decadent and make a statue of some image, committing an evil act in the eyes of God your Lord and making Him angry. I call heaven and earth as witnesses for you today that you will then quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will not remain there very long, since you will be utterly destroyed" (Deuteronomy 4:25-26).
How do we resolve this contradiction?
Judaism, Sacrifices, and Pleasure v.s. Pain?
Although perhaps one should not objectively favor different sections of the Torah, subjectively liking some things over others is understood. I have always loved this week's parshah. In my opinion, it is extremely beautiful and it contains famous passages such as the Shema and the Ten Commandments. If one does not normally read over the weekly Torah portion, if one has the time this, I highly suggest doing. Its Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11. One can go to http://bible.ort.org/books/pentd2.asp?ACTION=displaypage&BOOK=5&CHAPTER=3 for a very readable translation.
As mentioned, this week's Torah portion contains the famous commandment "You shall love Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your resources" (Deuteronomy 6:5).
This passage raises many questions, what does it mean to love G-d, how can G-d command emotions, how does one come to love G-d, etc. These questions are not the focus of this devar Torah.
The Rambam describes love of G-d as follows:
"What is appropriate love? This is an extremely strong and profound love of God, so that one's soul is committed to the love of God and that one will be so preoccupied with it that one will appear to be lovesick, in which one's mind is perpetually occupied at all times with a particular woman. Apart from this, one's love of God has to be absolute and continuous, as we have been commanded: '...with all your heart and with all your soul.' Solomon said by way of example, 'For I am sick with love.' The entire Song Of Songs is exemplary of this concept [of the love of God]" (Hilchos Teshuvas 10:3).
According to the Rambam, loving G-d is an emotion, an emotion which controls our very being. And since true love (not infatuation) is extremely pleasurable, loving G-d must be even more pleasurable. Additionally, given that the Rambam said it must be "absolute and continuous", it logically follows that:
"The love of the Holy One, Blessed be He, will not be anchored in the human heart until man is completely enraptured by it and abandons everything else in the world other than it" (Hilchos Teshuva 10:6).
The Torah's command to love G-d requires us to abandon all else in the world. It is clear that loving G-d demands from us sacrifices, very real sacrifices. It requires pain.
But wait a sec! If loving G-d is pleasurable, how can it require pain? Are they not opposites?!
No they are not teaches Reb Noah Weinberg, founder of Aish HaTorah. Pleasure and pain go hand in hand, just ask parent! You see, if you ask a parent what his or her greatest pleasure is, you will undoubtedly hear his or her children. Ask the same parent what causes him or her the most pain and you will hear the same thing, the children! Its like the old saying, no pain no gain. Ok. So what's the opposite of pleasure? In truth, the opposite of pleasure is comfort for comfort's sake, sitting around doing nothing. Everything worthwhile requires pain. ( http://www.aish.com/literacy/judaism123/Five_Levels_of_Pleasure.asp)
But one can ask, since the Rambam says that loving G-d requires abandoning everything else, is there anything else in life that is worthwhile? Perhaps not but loving G-d according to the Rambam clearly requires one to enjoy life (Hilchos Deos 3:1).
There are many joys in life and G-d wants to experience them. And these true joys require pain.
I highly suggest others read http://www.aish.com/literacy/judaism123/Five_Levels_of_Pleasure.asp which Reb Noah Weinberg discusses different levels of pleasures and how to achieve them.
We Jews are to seek true pleasure. Yes, it requires pain but so what!
Shlomo Horowitz said that Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg said "It is hard to be a good Jew, but boy is it worth it!" ( http://burgncsy.org/index.php/weblog/comments/being_a_jew_is_a_great_deal_of_work_and_sacrifice/)
[[Halakhic Man, note 4, and pages 76-77]]
Have a good Shabbas
Mordechai
posted by Mordechai18 at 10:45 AM
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