A guest post by Rabbi Aaron Fink (my father), Dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov in Monsey NY. Part of a weekly Dvar Torah (Torah “Thought”) series.
Parshas Emor
U’shmartem V’asissem
In parshas Emor (22:32), we are warned, v’lo sichalalu es shem kadshi, not to create a chilul Hashem. Furthermore, the passuk challenges us, v’nikdashi bisoch yisrael, to create a kiddush Hashem in all our endeavors. A simple passuk, but seemingly a tall order, to live lives al kiddush Hashem. While we are aware of the spiritual adrenaline that gave strength to those who gave up their lives al kiddsuh Hashem, we know that it is equally as important, and much more difficult, to live our lives b’kedushas Hashem each and every day. Fortunately, the limud of smichos haparshiyos, or in this case smichos hapassukim, shows us how.
In the passuk preceding the commandment to be mikadesh shem shamayim we are told “u’shmartem mitzvosai v’asissem osam,” watch the mitzvos and perform them. Interestingly, Chazal do not interpret this passuk as a warning, u’shmartem, to behave, rather Toras kohanim explains u’shamartem zu mishna, v’asissem zu ha’maaseh, melamed she kol sheayno bmishna ano b’maaseh. In other words, the only way to be shomer Torah u’mitzvos properly is to learn, for those who don’t know, can’t do. Moreover, those who don’t live al pi Torah in any aspect of their character, reflect the notion that they have not learned properly to begin with. Indeed, there is no way to be mekadesh shem shamayim if one does not know how to act in the manner prescribed by Torah in every given situation.
In this context, it is clear that learning is the most important ingredient in our growing into being the ohr la’amim we are intended to be. This creates a quandary, for this adage that learning is everything seems to conflict with the mishna in Avos that tells us ain hamedresh haikar ela ha’maaseh, that our performance is everything and our learning is secondary.
Of course, this question is really the result of a superficial understanding of the ratzon Hashem. After all, another mishna in Avos tells us, ain am haaretz chasid. What we are being taught is that there is supposed to be a constant interplay between our learning and our actions. V’talmud Torah keneged kulam and derech ertz kadma l’Torah are not meant to be conflicting values, rather limud haTorah is not only to be the driving force in our intellectual knowledge but in the outgrowth of the behavior that it demands from the very begining. Learning well and behaving poorly can never go hand in hand, rather as the passukim in the parsha teach us when we fulfill the dictum of u’shmartem mitzvosai v’asissem osam, we will be zoche to not be of those who are mechalel shem kadsho, but rather we will mekadash His name besoch shaar Yisrael.
This is a vital yesod in anticipation of our appreciating the impending arrival of Lag B’Omer and our personal preparation for the Yom Tov of Shavous. Rabbi Akiva’s talmidim surely fulfilled the essence of u’shmartem but Chazal are maeid that there was a lacking in their va’asisem, and 24,000 perished. To live a life of v’nikdashi, it is vital that we focus our commitment to u’shmartem v’asissem – to learn and to perform His will in our every action. Committing ourselves to this concept gives the ultimate meaning to our kabolas haTorah and assures that we can function as a mamleches kohanim v’goy kadosh for all to emulate.
Related posts:
