Headlines »

March 25, 2024 – 8:50 pm | Comments Off on Why We Must Resist The Cease Fire Resolution48 views

Tzav: Fighting Evil
We are surrounded by evil; every so often, it rears its ugly head as it did on Simchat Torah—the October 7 massacre. Pure evil raped Jewish mothers, burned Jewish babies alive, mutilated their fathers, and beheaded their neighbors. Pure evil burned loving couples clinging to each other, to …

Read the full story »
Parsha Insights

Where Biblical law and Torah tale is brought vividly to life

Concepts

The Jewish perspective on topical and controversial subjects

Life Cycle

Probing for meaning in our journey and its milestones.

Yearly Cycle

Discover depth and mystique in the annual Jewish festivals

Rabbi’s Desk

Seeking life’s lessons in news items and current events

Home » The Jewish Faith

The Jewish Faith: Discipline

Submitted by on November 6, 2005 – 4:45 amNo Comment | 2,465 views

Obediance

Our sages taught
the formula for achieving this connection. A burning love for G-d and
intense feeling of awe are pre-requisites for the Jewish approach.
However, Jewish worship and service must begin with a simple but
conclusive discipline to the regiment of G-d and his Torah.




More than our
desire to cleave to him should be our discipline to obey him. Moreover,
our very desire to cleave to him should stem from the fact that he
commanded us to cleave to him.




This discipline
must be pervasive and comprehensive. It should permeate our intellect,
emotions and the very patterns of our thought, speech and behavior.

Love

However one must
realize that discipline alone is not enough. To be inspired man must
first be stimulated. The Torah recognizes this in a very real way. The
Torah commands us to pursue the knowledge of G-d so that we can develop
actual and tangible feelings for him.




These feelings
must be veritable and undeniable. They must touch us in the most inner
chamber of our essence and must stir the very strings of our soul. We
must acquire a feeling of love and tenderness towards G-d that will
motivate us to cling to him.




Conversely one
must also develop a feeling of awe and respect for the Almighty. A
feeling of veneration that will compel us to worship and revere him at
every possible moment.


 

A burning love
and a desire to cleave to him will kindle our interest in observing the
248 positive commandments of the Torah. We understand that every
Mitzvah represents another aspect of G-d and by actively performing a
Mitzvah we actively cleave to this particular aspect of G-d.




A proper feeling
of awe and respect will impel us to refrain from transgressing any of
the 365 negative commandments of the Torah. On a simple and basic level
our fear of punishment will keep us in stride.

Shame

On a deeper and
more significant level our awe and humility comes from the realization
that G-d connects with us at every moment. This cognitive awareness
instills within us a deep sense of shame when we realize our iniquities
and limitations. It spurs on a permeating need to reach for the
ultimate perfection, through cleaving to G-d by way of his Torah and
Mitzvos.




When we realize
that every Mitzvah brings us closer and every transgression pulls us
back, we become consumed with a burning need for guarding against any
form of transgression.