Acting on one's devotion towards God: Is it possible?
As Rosh Hashanah approaches, many of us are reflecting on our lives and considering resolutions for the new year. For those seeking to strengthen their Jewish practice, the value of such a commitment is deeply personal and spiritual.
According to Jewish tradition, a person who steps out of their comfort zone and makes a resolution to deepen their faith is enhancing their soul's worth. This is understood through sincere commitment, self-discipline, and growth in faith. Such a step signifies the individual's mastery over their desires and a renewal of their spiritual self, transcending material valuation and being implicitly precious and sacred.
A venerable rabbi in Israel once refused a half million dollars for his rabbinical academy, stating that to earn a share in the world to come, one must go out of one's comfort zone. This principle was also demonstrated in a humorous anecdote involving a poor man who, as a joke, sold his share in the world to come for a rubel to a merchant. However, the merchant's wife later forced her husband to repurchase his share for a thousand rubels.
The Rebbe of Apt, a renowned spiritual leader, was consulted by a woman who had heard of his wisdom. She asked if her husband's soul was worth a thousand rubels or if she had overpaid when she persuaded her husband to repurchase his share in the world to come. The Rebbe replied that when her husband sold his share, it wasn't worth a rubel, but when he repurchased it, it was worth more than a thousand rubels.
This story serves as a reminder that our actions, particularly those driven by faith and commitment, hold great value, even if they may seem insignificant at first. Rabbi Manis Friedman suggested that practicing kindness until it takes root in habit and heart is a faster approach than figuring out why one is inclined to be mean and then inspiring kindness. Our sages also taught that we must never undervalue action without intent because we have to start somewhere.
In contrast, resolving to love may never lead to doing, and loving someone in theory or loving the idea of someone is not the same as loving in real life. The path from doing to loving is long, but has no barriers, while the path from loving to doing has big barriers to overcome.
As we embark on this new year, let us remember the value of our actions and the power of commitment in our spiritual journey. Whether our hearts are fully in it or not at first, taking on a new resolution should make us uncomfortable because if it still feels comfortable, it is not large enough. Minutes of formal meetings always end with a list of actionable items, and committees tend to enjoy talking and hearing themselves talk, but discussions without actionable items are considered useless.
So, let us resolve to increase our Jewish practice, even if our heart isn't in it at first. With commitment and self-discipline, we can grow in faith and renew our spiritual selves, transcending material valuation and finding the true, precious, and sacred worth of our souls.
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