May 19, 2012
Parashat Behar-Behukkotai
Leviticus 25:1–27:34
This week's commentary was
written by Rabbi David Hoffman, Assistant Professor, Talmud and
Rabbinics, and Scholar-in-Residence, Development Department, JTS.
Blessings from the Inside Out
One of the claims that seems to have been made at different moments
in my Jewish education is that Judaism concerns itself with what a
person
does in the world, and not with what a person
thinks.
The Torah demands we pursue a life rightly lived over beliefs rightly
held. This argument underscores that the project of Torah is concerned
with our behavior and not our internal life.
Sinful might be a
word that describes an act in Judaism, but it is not a word Jews would
use to describe thoughts or feelings. A Jew is asked to take a leap of
action rather than a leap of thought. The way to God comes by way of the
mitzvah—a deed. Abraham Joshua Heschel described Jewish law (halakhah)
as a system of the "ecstasy of deeds" through which we may experience
the presence of God.
I have celebrated this idea about my Judaism
for a number of reasons. First, this understanding puts a premium on
behavior, and, intuitively, this seems right to me. What should matter
most in our relationships with the world and others is what we do.
Second, the emphasis on mitzvah—on the deed—pushes us out of our heads
and into the world. Third, selfishly, I also enjoy the minimal
boundaries this approach places on my emotional and cognitive life. I am
not asked to regulate my mental activity. My mind is free to wander
where it likes, perhaps not guiltlessly, but certainly with great
impunity.
Continue reading.
