Thursday, April 18, 2013
Parshas Acharei-Mos/Kedoshim: Don't Overindulge
11:30 AM | 
Posted by
Rabbi Chaim Coffman |
The Ramban at the beginning of Parshas Kedoshim explains to us what it means to be holy. He tells us that while the Torah permits many things, these same things if they are overdone, is forbidden. This means while it is permissible to drink or eat, it is forbidden to be a drunk or a glutton. We can sanctify these things by making blessings over them and using them for our purpose.
We don't look at the world as everything being forbidden and terrible and that we have to separate ourselves from it. Just the opposite! The Torah tells us that not only are we part of this world, but we have to live in it and sanctify it. We have the holidays, Shabbos, fast days...to get us in the proper mood but the Jewish people are here to show the world how to properly use this world!
Being an aesthetic is certainly not a Jewish concept. The idea, as the Ramchal tells us in Mesilas Yesharim (Path of the Just) of a person rolling around the snow in the freezing cold with very little clothing on does not make one righteous. That is not a way to work on our relationship with G-d.
Mankind is created from "this" world and has a soul that G-d breathed into us. That spiritual soul through the practice of the mitzvos allows us to sanctify the body and soul, making them a complete unit in their service to G-d.
This is not so easy since the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination) wants us to go after our more base desires and stay away from the spiritual. There is a constant fight between the good and evil inclination but the only way we can beat the Yetzer Hara is through mitzah observance.
We have our good days and bad days in this epic battle as we show the world what the power of Torah is. We are allowed to use the world for our benefit but we are not allowed to abuse that which is permissible. An extreme in anything is not good, even if the thing itself is permissible.
The Torah must be kept under all circumstances and we must be vigilant in our meticulous mitzvah observance. At the same time, we must be part of this world and help ourselves become the great people that we can.
We don't look at the world as everything being forbidden and terrible and that we have to separate ourselves from it. Just the opposite! The Torah tells us that not only are we part of this world, but we have to live in it and sanctify it. We have the holidays, Shabbos, fast days...to get us in the proper mood but the Jewish people are here to show the world how to properly use this world!
Being an aesthetic is certainly not a Jewish concept. The idea, as the Ramchal tells us in Mesilas Yesharim (Path of the Just) of a person rolling around the snow in the freezing cold with very little clothing on does not make one righteous. That is not a way to work on our relationship with G-d.
Mankind is created from "this" world and has a soul that G-d breathed into us. That spiritual soul through the practice of the mitzvos allows us to sanctify the body and soul, making them a complete unit in their service to G-d.
This is not so easy since the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination) wants us to go after our more base desires and stay away from the spiritual. There is a constant fight between the good and evil inclination but the only way we can beat the Yetzer Hara is through mitzah observance.
We have our good days and bad days in this epic battle as we show the world what the power of Torah is. We are allowed to use the world for our benefit but we are not allowed to abuse that which is permissible. An extreme in anything is not good, even if the thing itself is permissible.
The Torah must be kept under all circumstances and we must be vigilant in our meticulous mitzvah observance. At the same time, we must be part of this world and help ourselves become the great people that we can.
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