I thought this was excellent.
Introduction to Halacha:
What is the difference between a Baal Teshuvah and a Ger, between a newly
religious Jew and a convert? A Jew is born Jewish and remains Jewish no matter what
he/she does in their life. They can not opt out of the obligation that their ancestors took
upon themselves and their future generations at Mt. Sinai.
When dealing with a Baal Teshuvah we have to be gentle. They have the
obligation to be following the Mitzvahs which in Hebrew is “Shomrei Mitzvahs.”
Therefore we must not push them away at all. Rather we have the obligation to bring
them close. Therefore when a Baal Teshuvah isn’t yet following the Mitzvahs properly
we say “Great you did a half mitzvah, don’t burn yourself out. Take it slow.” But this is
not true in the case of conversion. A Ger needs to know that through conversion they
are taking upon themselves the whole Torah exactly like the Israelites did in the desert.
But what more does entering into this eternal Bris, this eternal covenant signify?
A prospective convert needs to internalize what our Sages of blessed memory
told up in Ethics of the Fathers Pirkei Avos.
There we are told that in order to become a true servant of Hashem we need
first to cancel our will in front of His Will. Once we know that His Will must rule over
ours then we move on to the next step of becoming a servant of Hashem.
Remember what Adon Olam teaches us is meant by Hashem’s Will. Torah is His
Will. From Hashem’s Will the World was created. The purpose of its creation was only
so that we could use this World made from His Will. For what goal are we to use this
World? Through this World and its tests we are to have His Will become our will. In fact
that is the very next statement of Pirkei Avos. There it states that we need to make His
Will into our own.
So in order to become a servant of Hashem remember:
1. You do not call the shots. You not only have to control your emotions as they
could sway you to serving Him in ways that He did not dictate, but you also have
to
2. Replace your will, your emotional service with His Torah, His Will. Remember
what Adon Olam teaches about Azai Melech Shemo Nikra. This life is your only
chance to serve Him and you need to do it only in His ways.
The word Torah shares the same root and meaning as the word Horaah,
teaching or instruction.
What the Torah teaches us is how to walk in Hashem’s ways. And so it is time
for us to start learning Halacha.
Halacha is usually translated as Jewish law. This is true, but to some, that term
has bad connotations. There are those of you who have come from religions that do not
value “the letter of the law” but rather only value “the spirit of the law.” You may have
been taught that your feelings and emotions should lead you towards service to
Hashem.
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Some of you might really think at this point that you believe the concepts taught
by Judaism, you understand and agree with our form of monotheism, but you are having
a hard time coming to grips with a law ridden religion. You might be thinking that you
could make an amalgam of Jewish beliefs combined with the types of emotional service
that you are used to and may still respect.
No such amalgam can be made to breach the vast non-breachable chasm
between Judaism and other religions.
Why?
Halacha is Hashem’s laws, His instructions of how we can come to serve Him. As
was stated in Adon Olam, becoming Jewish means that you stop choosing how you will
serve Hashem. It means that you must stop being the Boss on how you will serve
Hashem. Becoming a halachically minded Jew means that you are always looking for
instruction from Hashem on how to serving Him –His way.
With that thought, let’s translate Halacha. LaLechet means to walk. The present
tense of that verb is Holech, walking. So Halacha is the way of walking through life in
Hashem’s ways. It also signifies that Hashem’s ways walk with us, so to speak.
Halacha applies to all situations Jews find themselves in, and halachic principles of law
affect even the most modern technological and medical advances. Deuteronomy or let’s
call it by its proper Hebrew name, Sefer Devarim 8:6 says. Ushmarta es mitzvos
Hashem E-lokecha, laleches b’derachav u’lyirah oso. And you should follow and guard
the commandments of Hashem your G-D, to walk (la leches) in His ways to fear Him.
Some of you look puzzled. Maybe you are thinking:
“What is this fear that is being related to? What ever happened to love of Hashem? Laws,
rules, guidelines, fear. Is that what I am looking for? Is that what is going to forge my
connection to Hashem? Shouldn’t I rather create my special individual relationship with
the Master of the Universe through love?”
The Orchos Tzaddikim emphasizes for us a concept which may be new for some
of you. There in the section called Shaar Ha’Ahava, the Gates of Love, he emphasizes
that the only way of attaining love of Hashem is though fear of Him and through
following His commandments. He states that
Those who merely fear the judgement of punishment from Heaven through
Hell and punishments in this would have reached a low level that is
extremely far from love. But rather you should fear Hashem, may He be
blessed, in the same way that a man loves his wife, and she is adored by him.
He is fearful to do anything against her lest he loose her love. So too is it with
regards to the love for Hashem. The love of the Almighty Creator is burning
coals, and we should fear to transgress his commandments lest we loose His
love. And this is what is says in Psalms 2, 11 Serve Hashem in fear, this is the
fear of love. And it continues “And rejoice is trembling. “ From enormous
fear of the Creator, you should rejoice to do His will. Cheftso (Torah) This
concept was dealt with in Adon Olam. The fear of Hashem this is his treasure.
And this love can not be sustained except in those who contemplate on how
to fulfill all of the Mitzvahs, all of the commandments K’hilchasan, like the
Halacha says, in every minute detail. For whoever does not know the
Mitzvahs which the Creator of all commanded, can not be called one who
loves Hashem. therefore you should love all that which brings you to love of
the Creator blessed is He and Blessed be His Name (which in Adon Olam you already
learned that His Name is the way that we know Him, and this Chazal (our sages) tell us is the
Torah. Only through the Torah can we who are in this physical existence come to know Him.)
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The one who does this, tov lo. It is good for him in this world and in the
World to come.The message of the Orchos Tzaddikim is clear, instead of viewing details of the law as minutia we need to come to appreciate all that which brings us to love of the Creator blessed is He and Blessed be His Name, and this is only through His law.
A friend of mine shared with me the events of his wife’s first birthday after their wedding. He joyfully entered his house and announced “happy birthday”- I bought you chocolates.” Chocolates! His wife gasped in horror. I’m massively allergic to chocolates. I’ll break out in hives is I have even one. Well what do you like? Asked the bewildered husband. “Flowers” she stated decisively” Masses of flowers.” Flowers he asked. What a waste. They will be dead in 2 days. But honey, she said, it’s my birthday. He concluded by saying “Its Hashem’s Torah and He tells us What He wants from the relationship. When His students say they want to hike on Shabbas because it’s how they feel close to Him in nature, he reminds them that it’s Hashem’s Shabbas and He tells us what He wants like my friend’s wife told him all those years ago.
Remember in Adon Olam that you learned that Hashem looked into His Torah and from there He created the world. The souls though, were not created this way. Rather you learned that the soul is a piece of G-D from above. It was put into the thickness of the clouds of this physical existence that hide Hashem from us.
How do we find Him from within these clouds? Do we find Him with a guess, an emotion, or a gut feeling?
That will only get us further lost. Involvement in this world unguided will only thicken the clouds. What we need is a GPS. The only way to maneuver through the thick clouds is through that which knows the bigger map, and what better map or GPS is there than that which made the clouds of our physical existence. The thickness does not impair its visibility. It is the only guide which is unimpaired by physical existence. Only through the Torah, through which the Creator created the physical boundaries, can we hope to learn how to find Him.
It’s not like looking in a magic ball, nor is it like flying high above it all. It is rather a method called Halacha, walking. Yes through the Halacha we learn how to use this world to serve Hashem. What we eat, drink and smell is dictated by these laws. What we look at, or don’t look at; what we speak about or don’t speak about are set down for us. What and how we maneuver ourselves while in this Olam, this World of clouds, is set out as a table is set, as a Shulchan Aruch, in front of us.
And the Torah tells us in Sefer Devarim 30:12, that unlike so many of the misinformed think, “This commandment which I command you this day, it is not hidden from you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who shall go up for us to heaven and bring it to us, that we may hear it, and do it? Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it, But the word is very near to you , in your mouth and in your hear that you may do it. See I have set before you this day life and good and death and evil. In that I command you this day to love the Lord your G-D, to walk in his ways (Halacha), and to keep His commandments and statutes and His judgments…..”
And so as we start to learn the nit picky details of Halacha, please keep in mind, that the words of Torah are your life and the length of your days (Devarim 30:20 ) And it is in them you will contemplate day and night.
Since all other religions, except for Judaism, are man-made, the world has developed incorrect attitudes towards Torah law.
