Ra'anana Community Kollel - Bechukotai 5763

24/7

Rabbi Binyomin Lipson

“If you will walk in my statutes and uphold my commandments . . . Then I will give you rain in the proper time, the land will bring forth its bounty and the trees of the field will offer their fruits. (Vayikra 26:3-4)

The first verse in this week’s parsha literally cries out for explanation. If we meticulously observe Hashem’s commandments what more can possibly be expected of us? What is the Torah referring to when it tells us that in addition to observing the commandments that we must also walk in His statutes? The Midrash explains that the Torah is indeed referring to two distinct levels of Divine service. Obviously, keeping the mitzvot is an absolutely essential condition for receiving Hashem’s full measure of physical and spiritual bounty, however, this week’s Parsha teaches us that there is yet another vital component to life as a Jew; diligent Torah study. True, learning Torah certainly qualifies as one of the mitzvot mentioned in the second half of the sentence, nevertheless, the Midrash is teaching us that ultimately, what we should keep in our sights is an even higher level of devotion to quality Jewish education and the continuous drive to expand our personal knowledge. This is what the Torah is alluding to when it implores us to walk in in Hashem’s statutes and not merely to learn them. The analogy of walking implies that we should seek to foster a constant contemplation of our unique responsibility in the world and the Divine commandments which bring it to its fruition.

Rav Mordechi Gifter zt”l, who was known for his phenomenal diligence in Torah study, once journeyed on a fund raising trip to South America. At one point he tried repeatedly to make an appointment with a certain wealthy merchant who was known as a great supporter of Jewish institutions. However, whenever he attempted to visit or contact him at home he was never there. Finally, after many failed attempts R’ Gifter was notified by the man’s wife that her husband was prepared to meet with him at the office. When R’ Gifter eventually arrived at the office the hour was very late but nevertheless the man was still there, hard at work over a stack of documents. At the conclusion of their conversation R’ Gifter said the man, “While I was attempting get in touch with you I visited your palatial home many times and was quite surprised to find that no matter what the time of day or night I arrived you were never there. Don’t you ever go home?” “Rabbi, I’ll tell you honestly,” replied the man, “my house is really only for my wife and family. If you want to really make it big in the market nowadays you’ve got to live in the business.” R’ Gifter was struck by the profound significance of the man’s statement. If a businessman can be so devoted to his worldly affairs that he regards them as his whole life, how much greater commitment should we feel towards learning Torah which we refer to as “our life and the length of our days.” It is for this reason that in the brachah that we make on Torah study in the morning we do not conclude “to learn Torah” but rather, “to be busy with words of Torah.”

In addition to this insight of the Midrash, there is yet another implication in the opening words of the Parsha, “If you will walk in My statutes . . .” Simply speaking, there are two basic ways in which we can relate to the mitzvot. Some people choose to view Hashem's commandments as their “religious duties” which they must fulfill whenever necessary. Nevertheless, they do not consider the values of the Torah as the guiding principles of their lives. As a result, their moral standards dance to the tune of the trends of modern society while at the same time remain guided by the general moral framework of the Torah. In essence, a person who possesses such an outlook lives the life of an Olympic slalom skier who, while attempting to be the first one at the finish line, tries to avoid knocking down any red flags in the process. Although such a person maintains a belief in the binding nature of the Torah’s commandments, for him the mitzvot serve as little more than an impediment to his achievements in what he chooses to refer to as “the real world.”
However, there are those do not merely observe the mitzvot but rather, they walk in them. One of the three essential components of the Jewish conversion process is that the potential convert accept upon himself the obligation to keep all of the mitzvot of the Torah. Whereas, if he accepts all of the mitzvot except for one, his conversion is rendered totally invalid. Despite this requirement, the Gemara (Yevamot 47a) teaches that when a gentile comes forward with the desire to convert to Judaism, the Beit Din is not required to teach him the details of all the mitzvot in order to ensure this acceptance. Rather, they must teach him “some of the less stringent mitzvot and some of the most severe.” It is understood why the potential convert must be taught the severe mitzvot as there is reason to believe that perhaps he will not be willing to accept them, but why must he also be taught a selection of those which are less severe? If he is willing to accept the most stringent mitzvot is there any doubt that he will readily embrace the rest?

R’ Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l explained that indeed this is not necessarily the case. While the average idol worshiper may perform his religious rites with great devotion and loyalty, when he leaves his place of worship and begins his daily affairs his actions may have little or no connection with his god. However, Hashem offers us much more than a mere religion, He offers us a way of life. When we left Egypt, the freedom that we acquired was the guidance of the Torah and its mitzvot in every aspect of our daily lives. Thus, we underwent a transition from being slaves to Pharaoh to becoming the servants of Hashem. This is the concept that the Beit Din needs to ensure that a prospective convert understands and accepts. Even if we know that he gladly accepts Hashem’s authority in life’s major moral issues, we must take measures to ensure that he is equally willing to submit himself to the will of a higher power in the mundane aspects of life as well. To live as Jews means that we take joy in the fact that the Torah gives us direction in literally every aspect of our lives to the extent that ultimately life contains absolutely nothing which can be called mundane and disconnected from the will of our Creator.