Based on Likutey Halakhot, Kriat HaTorah 4:4
There are a number of virtues and qualities you need if you want to succeed as a Jew. Most are well-known: faith, Torah knowledge, mitzvah observance and fear of God. I haven’t even named the topic yet, but allow me to digress before I do.
Most people, when they hear the words ‘fear of God’, immediately assume some sort of neurotic fear is meant. Fantasies of a Divine—or Satanic—torture chamber take up residence in the mind.
Some respond by becoming uptight—a totally un-Jewish disposition—and “religious.” Others recoil in despair and drown themselves in temporarily pleasant diversions, while others are repulsed and dismiss the whole enterprise, much to their (and our) detriment.
Fear of God is a normal, healthy fear—akin to the fear of sticking a fork in an outlet or changing lanes without looking in the rear-view mirror. The driver’s manual counsels us to check our mirrors and make sure there are no hazards before pulling out of the driveway or parking space. The Whole Life Manual, a.k.a. the Torah, offers guidance about hazards we might not have recognized on our own. It pays to heed those warnings. End of digression.
One necessary quality for Jewish success that is too rarely discussed is ratzon—desire. To succeed in any endeavor, one needs ambition, commitment and determination. Whatever inborn measure of ambition a person has, it can always be increased. Most of us have not been taught to channel that ambition toward Jewishness. Toward intellectual pursuits, making money, popularity, or becoming a “good person”—yes. But toward becoming a “big” Jew—a person dedicated to manifesting the fine behavior and refined character traits taught by God’s Torah—not so much. When were we ever told to use some of our ratzon for that?
The 17th of Tammuz marks the anniversary of Moshe Rabbeinu’s breaking of the Luchot (Tablets of the Decalogue). He broke them upon seeing that the Jewish people had made the Golden Calf. Reb Noson explains that underlying the sin of the Golden Calf was a denial that God’s ratzon determines every event that occurs. The calf-makers mistakenly believed there was a vacuum of Divine will, and that they could therefore manipulate events to their liking.
Moshe Rabbeinu broke the Luchot because the world was not yet ready for such a powerful expression of Divine ratzon. After two more ascents to Sinai, he was able to bring down the second Luchot safely. Reb Noson writes that when we perform hagbah—lifting the open scroll after the Torah reading—we are making amends for the Golden Calf. Hagbah is a declaration that the Divine ratzon expressed in the Torah we just read must be matched by our own ratzon, our human determination, for it to become real in the world. The scroll—full of God’s wisdom and kindness—is lifted skyward, reminding us to elevate every vestige of our ratzon to God’s.
May we soon see the coming of the righteous Redeemer and the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash, swiftly and in our lifetime. Amen.
A gutn Shabbos!
Shabbat Shalom!
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