This piece is dedicated in memory of my dear friend, Captain Rabbi Avi Goldberg, HY”D, who fell in Lebanon earlier this week. He was a true anav and tzaddik who lived up to the ideals described below.
Our mitzvah fulfillment is the most basic way we express our avodat Hashem. Our fulfillment ought to be both complete and deeply meaningful.
Breadth
Our commitment to mitzvot should be comprehensive—we should endeavor to observe all of His commandments. Carelessness, even regarding one mitzvah, reflects a lack of commitment to Hashem’s will.
Denial of the need to observe a mitzvah is even more problematic. In fact, it renders one a “mumar.” Though the term generally refers to the total abandonment of Judaism, Chazal (Chullin 4b) applied it to one who refuses to fulfill even one mitzvah because he, too, rejects Hashem’s authority.
The Ramban understood such a person as the intention of the last curse uttered on Har Gerizim upon our entry to Eretz Yisrael: “Arur asher lo yakim et divrei haTorah hazot,” “Cursed is the one who does not raise the words of this Torah (Devarim 27:26).” The Ramban explained that the curse refers to someone who rebels against one of the mitzvot. His sin is not because of a momentary lapse or desire but because he denies the need to fulfill it. Though he fully commits himself to the other 612, his objection to the 613th defies Hashem’s authority and renders him a heretic.
The Ramban’s cousin, Rabbeinu Yonah (S”T 1:6), elaborated on this idea, which he called an “ikar gadol” (great principle). He explained that such an approach has both practical and philosophical issues, neither of which should be taken lightly.
Practically, denial of the mitzvah means that one will never come to fulfill it. Even tzaddikim make mistakes from time to time, but because they recognize their sin as such, they eventually repent and repair their ways. One who denies the validity of a mitzvah will continue to violate it throughout his lifetime and live a life steeped in sin.
Philosophically, denying even one mitzvah is comparable to a servant who tells his master that he is committed to anything the master asks, except one thing. The exception undermines the commitment. “He shatters the authority of his master by doing as he sees fit.” Rabbeinu Yonah added that this is why the Torah describes this sinner as someone who does not“yakim (raise)” the Torah. His error runs deeper than lack of fulfillment. He does not “raise” the Torah because he degrades its value.
Depth
Our commitment should be complete not just in breadth but also in depth. The first parsha of Kriyat Shema calls upon us to love Hashem with all of our hearts, souls and resources (Devarim 6:5). The second parsha commands us to serve Him in a similar way (Devarim 11:13).
A Full Heart
The mishnah (Berachot 54a) explains that loving Hashem with “all of our heart” must include both our yetzer tov and yetzer hara. Our cares and emotions naturally pull us in different directions. Though we yearn for avodat Hashem and spirituality, another part of our will is selfish and focused on our needs, interests and pleasure. Our will, like our physical heart, is divided in two; existentially, we are of “two hearts.”
Ahavat Hashem means transcending this duality and focusing our care and concern on Hashem and His interests. We must bring ourselves to love Hashem with our entire unified heart—with both of our yetzarim.
The Ramban explains the second parshah’s call to serve Hashem with all of our hearts similarly. People often perform mitzvot as cultural customs or by rote without thinking about their meaning and significance. We are meant to serve Hashem with our full heart—with a clear and definitive commitment to Him.
Shlomo HaMelech referred to this as serving Hashem with a “lev shaleim,” a complete and whole heart (Melachim I 8:61). In the korbanot section of Shacharit, we describe Avraham Avinu’s willingness to sacrifice Yitzchak the same way. Avraham subdued his natural mercy so he could fulfill Hashem’s will with a complete heart.
Avraham naturally loved Yitzchak. That is why Hashem referred to Yitzchak as the son “you love” when He commanded Avraham to sacrifice him (Bereishit 22:2). Hashem asked Avraham to prioritize love for Him above love for his son. He asked Avraham to fill his entire heart with love for Him.
Avraham fulfilled Hashem’s command and came to epitomize the service and love of Hashem “b’chol levavcha” (Ba’al HaTurim, Devarim 6:5). We, too, ask Hashem to help us achieve this level of service twice a day when we ask Hashem (in Modim D’Rabbanan) to sustain us and return us to Beit Mikdash so we can keep His mitzvot, fulfill His Will and serve him “b’leivav shaleim.”
All Our Soul
In addition to our whole heart, the Torah commands us to serve and love Hashem with “all of our soul” (Devarim 6:5). The aforementioned mishnah explains that this means being willing to sacrifice our lives instead of serving avodah zara. In such circumstances, we should choose our values over our lives and, despite it all, continue loving Hashem.
One who sees avodat Hashem as life’s purpose will be moseir nefesh (sacrifice his life) instead of violating his principles. Of course, Hashem rarely calls upon us to sacrifice our lives. More often, we are asked to exhibit a different type of mesirut nefesh—not sacrificing our life for avodat Hashem, but committing ourselves fully to it. If avodat Hashem is worth sacrificing our lives for, it is worth devoting our lives to.
In certain ways, this latter type of mesirut nefesh is even greater than martyrdom because it requires a lifetime, not just a moment, of values, commitment and discipline.
May our association of mitzvot with Hashem’s will inspire us to commit ourselves completely, both in breadth and depth, to their fulfillment.
Rav Reuven Taragin is the dean of overseas students at Yeshivat Hakotel and the Educational Director of World Mizrachi and the RZA. His new book, ‘Essentials of Judaism,’ can be purchased at rabbireuventaragin.com.
