A Baal T’shuva’s Choices in Life and Torah
A child is born and an adult the person becomes. Choices are then made throughout life.
A basic choice that everyone must choose is what they will do with the time their soul inhabits their body. What purpose if any, they will give to the time they spend on earth?
Will they choose their body as the primary objective of life and spend life in the pursuit of materiel happiness or will the soul be primary. Even if the soul is primary, will attainment of personal happiness be the goal or and they will pursue a higher purpose, whether it makes them happy all the time or not.
One does need not to give away happiness in order to achieve fulfillment of a “purpose” but ones singular purpose should not be to achieve personal happiness alone.
Whether spiritual or physical.
To explain, there are many types of joy and happiness a person can strive for.
A joy for the body that it is achieved through pleasure in the physical; taste, touch, even music etc.
Joy that is spiritual, that comes from the person using his higher facilities; intellect, emotion; to understand ideas, to enjoy being kind.
Joy from giving oneself over to a higher goal i.e. the pursuit of truth, purpose and helping another being etc.
However even this, to have a higher goal that makes oneself “happy” is insufficient, even if the acts one are doing that makes one “happy” are good deeds and true.
The real objective is to have a goal that transcends self and whose single purpose is not just happiness or self.
I think this something that needs to be explained to the Baal Tshuva and every Jew.
How even if one is practicing all the laws and not committing sins, if this is done only so that the person should receive reward there is something lacking in the way the person is serving Hashem
Even if the person is not in the sole pursuit of the physical but in the pursuit of the spiritual, it is still all about their fulfillment and reward.
A better and truer way to serve Hashem is not for reward or feeling good that they have accomplished but to give G-d pleasure and fulfill what it is He desires from them.
The Truth because it is True (Rambam)
This is connected to the last article on the Baal Tshuva called "Whose Baal Tshuva is it"; we explained that teach movement must beware that what they teach a Baal Tshuva will influence them not only whether they will become “frum” but what group and philosophy they will consider themselves to be, in the Orthodox world.
Hence a better way is for the teacher to teach their way but also encourage them to see and explore all the various types of OrthodoxTorah abiding Jews that are out there.
The teacher should then step back and allow the Baal Tshuva to choose which of the various Orthodox Jews they wish to follow.
My thinking here is that the basic Jewish world today is divided into two thought process in why to learn torah and observes mitzvahs and this translates as well to the Baal Tshuva that each group is attracting.
Indeed not only Baal Tshuva but the FFB as well from the cradle and on there is a message given in various group to the question “Why should I do G-d's will”?
Of course on the deepest level it is because G-d said so and a Jew believes and obeys G-d by nature ( Hayom Yom-Rambam)
But in an educational level I believe there are two basic philosophies and messages based on the education and community that are taught from birth.
First a story , a daughter of a Baal Tshuva I know called me one night crying that she just came back from a lecture by a renowned women speaker who explained that all, the mitzvahs we do give nothing to G-d, it is all for us to receive reward. She cried because she was always told in Chassidus, which brought her family to Yiddshkiet, that each of us have a personal relationship with G-d and all that we do matters much to Him.
I explained to her that what the speaker said is true on one level. That indeed G-d is infinite and whether we do good or bad we do not give to Him or do anything to Him.
To quote Iyov (Iyov 35:6-7). “If you have sinned, what have you done against Him? If you are righteous, what do you give Him or what does He receive from your hand?”
However on another level, once G-d commanded us to do a certain act, He gives it importance and gets pleasure from our deeds. Indeed we affect him to do that same act so to speak, as us. Hence, when the Jewish people put on tefillin, this causes G-d to put on tefillin. (see Talmud Berachot 6a).
(For a more complete understanding of how Jews become important in G-ds eyes when they observe Mitzvos see Isaa Bemidrash Thillim -Mammer of Previous Lubavicher Rebbe)
Indeed when we obey G-d and bring Korbonus; sacrifices in the Temple it pleases G-d. As it is written: “a pleasing odor to G-d” (Leviticus 1:9) Rashi explains on the word “pleasing” it is pleasing before me …that my will is done”. It is not the smell of burning meat; that G-d enjoys but that we have obeyed Him.
Here we have two approaches, one that says the main purpose of Torah and Mitzvahs is the G-d wishes to reward us. He gave us the commandments so that we can get a good life in this world and the next.
Another is that true if we obey Him we will have a good life both in this world and the next but the real purpose is that G-d has His own reasons and desire for us to obey Him.
One can find proof in the Torah for both approaches.
One whose focus is on man and his reward the other on G-d and doing G-d's will for its own sake.
The difference is what books one is studying.
In a very general way I think this is the difference between the way of Musser and the way of Chassidism.
It is not for this article to go into the difference between the two however a basic fundamental difference is in how we view the physical world.
Is the physical viewed as a negative and its only value, is as a test to overcome and get reward in the world to come or is it viewed as a vehicle for the divine will , to observe the commandments that can only be done in the physical world. To fulfill G-d's desire for a dwelling place on earth (Midrash tanchuma). (see Hayom Yom for 7th Kislev the differcne between, Musser, Chakira and Chassidus).
This would explain the meaning of the Mishna. ( Ethics of our Fathers Chapter 4:16-17 )
“Rabbi Yakov said…he used to say: One hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is better than all the life of the World to Come; and one hour of bliss in the World to Come is better than all the life of this world”.
So which world is better? I believe the answer is that it depends. If we are dealing with G-d's pleasure than this world is better for in it we fulfill His plan and that gives Him pleasure.
If however we are looking at man's pleasure then the future world is better for there man gets his reward.
As a Jew we know that it is the deed that counts most. However the question is what the reason and motivation for doing it.
Is it in order to give G-d pleasure like a child wishes to give joy to a father or it is like a servant that is looking not to get punished and looking out for the reward. ( Zohar, Reya Mehemna Ki Setza)
Is the person looking at for themselves or looking out for G-d.
The difference here is not semantics but has ramifications in all that we do and as well defines what makes Judaism unique.
G-d willing more on this next time.
