What's the True Value of a Mitzva?
Actions are great. Thoughtful actions are even greater. But how can we be sure our mitzvos are effective?
On our recent trip to Israel, my wife and I enjoyed long conversations with some wonderful cousins. One topic in particular inspired strong questions that, for the most part, remained unresolved.
Why, we wondered, does God expect us to perform mitzvos? The midrash (Beraishis Rabba 44) does famously tell us:
לא נתנו המצוות אלא לצרף בהם את הבריות
“The mitzvos were certainly given in order to purify creations”
But how does that purification work? And how are we to be sure that our limited understanding of mitzvos isn’t leading us in the wrong direction?
Thoughtful Mitzvos
Let’s back up a step. Just how important is it to understand why we’re expected to act? Couldn’t we simply perform our mitzvos blindly and let the magic work on its own?
I’m not convinced there’s much value in rote observance. Sure, we must keep even the mitzvos we don’t understand. But what a shame it would be if that were all we could manage. As Rambam (Temura 4:13) wrote:
ורוב דיני התורה אינן אלא עצות מרחוק מגדול העצה לתקן הדעות וליישר כל המעשים
“And most words of Torah are nothing but advice from the distant Master of advice [teaching us to] repair our attitudes and straighten all our actions”
And about that “magic”. It’ll be no secret to anyone who’s been following this publication that I’m no fan of performing mitzvos for their theurgic impact. Rabbi S.R. Hirsch in particular believed that attempting to control the cosmos and compel the granting of God’s blessings through mitzva activities is, for all intents and purposes, an act of paganism.
We aren’t in the world to force God to do our will. Instead, in R’ Hirsch’s thinking, our goal is to use mitzvos as a tool to force ourselves to do His will. And that requires careful thought and a lot of learning. Tanach and Shas would seem to be the basic curriculum that’ll stimulate the required thinking.
Mastering Mitzvos
But then what? Sure, it’s not impossible to assess whether you’ve got the practical details right. That’s why we set aside time for learning halacha, live in halachically-observant communities, and maintain relationships with poskim. But what about the “why”?
To develop a personal sense of “why”, I feel that we need some kind of Torah system, a holistic structure that comprehensively identifies common themes running through the mitzvos. Such a system allows us to better understand the context of what we’re doing - which should, in turn, lead to more thoughtful observance. The full library of R’ Hirsch’s writings (beginning with The Nineteen Letters) would be an excellent example of such a system.
Ok. So let’s assume that we’ve got a competent grasp of practical halacha and a coherent and authentic philosophical system for understanding the impact each mitzva is supposed to have. But even that’s not enough. Because each mitzva is supposed to have an impact; to change us.
As my cousin put it, when was the last time a mitzva - even performed in a thoughtful and informed way - actually changed you? Isn’t it possible that the warm and even inspired thoughts that accompanied, say, your most recent trip past a mezuza were nothing more than a confirmation of your existing mindset rather than a transformative experience? How can I be sure I’m not reading my own worldview into a mitzva rather than absorbing God’s?
One way to assess our status in this area is to ask ourselves when was the last time we actually changed our behavior or thinking. I mean, it’s possible that you haven’t changed for the past 20 years because for all this time you’ve been perfect. But I know that’s not the case with me.
While it’s not exactly a solution, perhaps we can chip away at the problem one mitzva at a time. As the gemara (Makkos 24a) seems to suggest, prophets recognized that, for later generations at least, 613 data points were a lot to work with. So they advised their contemporaries to focus primarily on smaller subsets of the whole. Chabakuk (2:4), for instance, recommended specifically the concept “A tzadik lives by his faith.”
As I’ve written elsewhere, it can also be helpful to “adopt” a particular mitzva, committing yourself to study its laws and context properly, perform it consistently, and think deeply about what it’s teaching you. It’s possible that improving your intelligent observance of even one area can gradually influence the role of mitzvos in your larger life.
I certainly haven’t got truly satisfying answers to this problem. Please do contribute your own thoughts!