Timeless Torah

G-d has blessed me with a sense of humor. As I am fortunate enough to be involved in two wonderful organizations, the Hebrew Academy Community School and Chabad Lubavitch of Coral Springs, I have a never-ending opportunity to observe my fellow man and witness his foibles. But the area of life that offers me the most humor is man’s silly attempt to excuse his or her actions. One might argue that these scenes are surely tragic. All too true. But nonetheless, homo sapiens delusions about himself are comedic at the same time. Generally speaking, all excuses can be categorized into four types.

First, there is the “That’s how G-d made me” excuse: Why shouldn’t I do what ever I want? After all, I want it, means that there’s something inside me telling me to want it, right? I’m just being me. Isn’t it natural for me to be me?

Second, and a common favorite among students is the “Sorry, I lost it” excuse when involved in any sort of fracas: Look, I know it’s wrong. But I can’t control myself. I have this violent streak in me that... and they started it…and once you start me off, I can’t stop.

The third excuse is traditionally presented by the parent when called in to the principal’s office. We call it the, “My child is special” excuse: He’s an artist//holy man//commander-in-chief/heiress/scientist/dreamer. We have to make allowances for their very special talents and abilities. The regular rules don’t apply. They can’t be constrained by laws designed to keep the rest of the herd in line.

Finally, there is excuse number four which can be titled the “Little me” and “What’s the use” excuse. You know, I used to care about these things and try to do the right thing. But what’s the point? The world is what it is. I’m not going to change it . What I do or don’t do won’t make much difference anyway. So just let things be. Relax and enjoy life.

This week’s Biblical reading of Mishpatim (Laws) includes much of what can be called the Torah’s civil code, the laws governing criminal assault, theft, damages, loans, rentals, employer-employee relations, etc. But as the Chassidic masters repeatedly remind us, everything in Torah has both a “body” and a “soul”: the most lofty or esoteric concept has a practical application, and the most technical law has a spiritual import.

Mishpatim includes the laws of the Four Prototypes of Damages defined by the talmud as, “the animal, the pit, the man and the fire.” Technically, these describe four basic categories of damages for which a person is responsible: 1) Animal: damage caused by one’s animal or other possession (e.g., your ox gores your neighbor’s cow; your goat eats up your neighbor’s tomato plants); 2)Pit: passive damage caused by one’s criminal negligence (e.g., you dig a hole in the middle of the street and someone falls in and breaks a leg); 3)Man: active, human-inflicted damages (e.g., you break his $1000 lamp or the nose on his face); 4)Fire: damages arising from the failure to control potentially damaging forces that are one’s responsibility to control (e.g., you’re burning garbage in your back yard and it spreads to your neighbor’s property).

These Four Prototypes also describe four spiritually damaging phenomena: the tendency to blindly and indiscriminately follow our wiles and desires (the animal); the failure to control anger and other destructive forces in our psyche (fire); the delusion that everything is permitted in pursuit of a “higher” goal (man); and the inertia of the passive, hollowed-out soul (the pit).

Just as these laws in the body of Torah warn against and prescribe remedies for the various physical damages that might occur, so does the soul of Torah counteract its four spiritual analogs:

Yes, our animal instincts are natural, necessary and desirable; but only when guided and directed by the higher instincts of our G-dly soul.

Yes, volatile forces rage within us; but we have been given the responsibility, and the means, to control them.

No, our highest and most personal aspirations are not exempt from the rule of law. On the contrary, when they fail to submit to its higher authority, they become the cause for the greatest evils perpetuated by man.

Indeed, passivity is all too easy a rut to roll into. We must constantly remind ourselves that our actions do make a difference in G-d’s world: He created it, He entrusted us with the task to improve it, and He supplied us the resources to do so. We need only scratch the surface of our soul to uncover the faith, the will, the passion and the energy to act.