A thought on Parshas Nitzavim Vayelch
"...v'hisbarech bi'levavo..."
"...and he will bless himself in his mind..." (29:18)
The Torah describes the rationalization of a person who hears the penalties and consequences of disregarding the ways of HaShem. "I can do as I chose and things will be fine", he declares.
The Chezkuni highlights this by drawing attention to the word v'hisbarech, which clearly has the root "bracha", or blessing. This man hears the disdain and disapproving admonitions of his peers, all of whom are afraid to violate the Torah. He figures to himself that he will counter their "curse" with a self- administered blessing. "He is like a person who hears a warning and says, "this applies to everyone except me."
If we look for the maladies of a generation, we see that issues and problems shift with time and with region. In some generations it has been idolatry that has tempted men's souls. In others, it has been the pursuit of power. In still others, it is the lust for the forbidden, or for wealth or for unbridled pleasure. In our own times, a major malady is self-absorbtion. We feel entitled. We easily justify boundary violations, rule bending and self-promotion at the expense of others, often blind to the impression and impact that we leave upon others. We come to "rolling stops" at crosswalks, we double park or use handicap zones, we cut in line, we exceed the speed limit and we rush about our "business" as the Chezkuni says: "rules apply to everyone else except me."
The Chezkuni adds that with rationalization, one can permit himself anything. What makes this mechanism so powerful is that is draws upon intellect, and we pride ourselves in our ability to employ our supple intellect. It comes easily to us, and so we utilize intellectual rationalizations to bend rules, bend truth, bend limits and boundaries, and ultimately to bend justice - mishpat m'ukal -
(Chabakuk 1:4).
This is as much a perversion as the other perversions which have infected earlier generations, for it is an invasion of the mind itself, our highest mortal gift from Above.
It is time to simplify ourselves. It is time to simplify our lives. We can go back to the earlier standard of honesty, including honesty with ourselves and within ourselves. We learn to catch ourselves in our self-justifications and rationalized orientation to our world. If something's not right, its wrong. We study, we learn, and then we must say to ourselves, "all of this applies to me and it is my responsibility to make it real and to implement it."May the blessings which we use to bless ourselves echo the blessings which HaShem bestows upon us, and may we be blessed for a straight New Year.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
"...and he will bless himself in his mind..." (29:18)
The Torah describes the rationalization of a person who hears the penalties and consequences of disregarding the ways of HaShem. "I can do as I chose and things will be fine", he declares.
The Chezkuni highlights this by drawing attention to the word v'hisbarech, which clearly has the root "bracha", or blessing. This man hears the disdain and disapproving admonitions of his peers, all of whom are afraid to violate the Torah. He figures to himself that he will counter their "curse" with a self- administered blessing. "He is like a person who hears a warning and says, "this applies to everyone except me."
If we look for the maladies of a generation, we see that issues and problems shift with time and with region. In some generations it has been idolatry that has tempted men's souls. In others, it has been the pursuit of power. In still others, it is the lust for the forbidden, or for wealth or for unbridled pleasure. In our own times, a major malady is self-absorbtion. We feel entitled. We easily justify boundary violations, rule bending and self-promotion at the expense of others, often blind to the impression and impact that we leave upon others. We come to "rolling stops" at crosswalks, we double park or use handicap zones, we cut in line, we exceed the speed limit and we rush about our "business" as the Chezkuni says: "rules apply to everyone else except me."
The Chezkuni adds that with rationalization, one can permit himself anything. What makes this mechanism so powerful is that is draws upon intellect, and we pride ourselves in our ability to employ our supple intellect. It comes easily to us, and so we utilize intellectual rationalizations to bend rules, bend truth, bend limits and boundaries, and ultimately to bend justice - mishpat m'ukal -
(Chabakuk 1:4).
This is as much a perversion as the other perversions which have infected earlier generations, for it is an invasion of the mind itself, our highest mortal gift from Above.
It is time to simplify ourselves. It is time to simplify our lives. We can go back to the earlier standard of honesty, including honesty with ourselves and within ourselves. We learn to catch ourselves in our self-justifications and rationalized orientation to our world. If something's not right, its wrong. We study, we learn, and then we must say to ourselves, "all of this applies to me and it is my responsibility to make it real and to implement it."May the blessings which we use to bless ourselves echo the blessings which HaShem bestows upon us, and may we be blessed for a straight New Year.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 11:49 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home