GIVERS and TAKERS

14 Adar Alef 5784
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Tetzaveh - Purim Katan

Most unfortunately for Klal Yisrael, a lot of Christian belief and thought has been assimilated into Modern Judaism in Western countries.  One of the worst is the concept of the missionary religion - that the believing community has a mission, a goal, an obligation to "share" the Torah with the larger world.

We are seeing this prevalently among the Anglo-Israeli Modern Orthodox Jews who appear to believe our God-given destiny is to serve the nations and spread Torah throughout the world.  It's a great tactic of the Yetzer Hara that if he can't get a Jew to do evil, he tempts him to do something that seems noble and righteous on its face but is actually just the opposite - like "building bridges between Jews and gentiles.

It is critical that Klal Yisrael focus on the job HKB"H assigned to us and not to neglect it in favor of things we might think are a better use of our time.  Our God-given mandate is to learn the Torah and do mitzvot.  The performance of mitzvot is what actually accomplishes the tikkun of the world - from which all creatures benefit - but intimate knowledge and understanding of the Torah is what informs us of what the mitzvot are and how to do them correctly to maximum effect.  Neglect of Torah leads to neglect of mitzvot.

The Torah does not indicate that we are to go unto the nations one by one and teach them about the Torah for their personal "salvation."   Its ideal is that we create the perfect society in Eretz Yisrael - according to Torah instructions - and model it to the world.  When the nations see how pleasant it can be to live according to Torah law, they will want to follow our example.  At that point, whatever the situation demands will be handled on a nation-to-nation basis with no requirements for rank-and-file Jews to abandon their avodat Hashem in favor of instructing goyim.

We've seen tragically how that ends; how the "righteous gentiles" who've come requesting Torah instruction have turned out very often to be practitioners of avodah zarah lying and insinuating themselves into Jewish communities and making such relationships that even when the avodah zarah is revealed, the relationship remains unaffected, chas v'chalilah!  

When you've got individuals going off on their own with these sorts of projects without any responsibility, or accountability, or real oversight, it's  a recipe for disaster for the entire Klal!

It would help tremendously if we could appeal to these "do-gooders" - who seem to have the best of intentions in wanting to spiritually benefit the goyim - if we could appeal to them on the basis of Torah and fill in the gaps of their obvious lack in Jewish education.  Think how they could be a benefit to their fellow Jews, and thereby to HKB"H, if they could be redirected to the proper path of avodat Hashem.

To our sorrow, this generation, besides being one of the least Jewishly educated, is also very ego-driven and self-centered.  There are a fair share of "religious" people who are in it for what they can get out of it.  Something about it appeals to some need or desire that they have and which they seek to satisfy.  You can find them in the quasi-new-age events that cater to the so-called Shabbat-observant in search of a spiritual high.  

The world can be divided into The Givers and The Takers.  HKB"H is the ultimate Giver and Torah teaches us that a man must take a wife and procreate so that he can learn to emulate his Father in Heaven by giving to his family.  Marriage is a give/give relationship as is the relationship between HKB"H and Klal Yisrael.  Our avodat Hashem is to give to HKB"H what He demands of us and in the manner He has prescribed in His Torah.  There is no allowance for us to choose some other offering of our own making - no matter how correct or enlightened it might seem to us -  an "offering"  that He has not specified because it suits us and our needs and desires.  These are The Takers - focused on their own gain.

We have to be constantly on guard against this avodah zarah because no one is immune.  We have to constantly be examining and re-examining our choices and motives to be sure we are on track to being one of the Givers, ever true to our Covenant with HKB"H.

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~