Living Blessings

(Published in The Outreach, June 2005)
The Outreach is the newsletter of Valley Outreach Synagogue, Reseda, California
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We begin every brachah, or blessing with the phrase, "Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu, Melech Ha’Olam…Blessed are You, Lord, or God, King of the Universe…" Then enters the concept of mitzvah. "asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav…who has made us holy through His mitzvot…v'tzivanu… and commanded us…"

I spend a lot of time examining these words with students as the blessings that we speak have a lot to say about our religious concepts. They teach of a religion of conscious living and of gratitude, and elucidate the nature of our relationship with God.

A common but less than accurate translation of mitzvah is "a good deed". Certainly, to feed the poor is a good deed. The trouble that I have with the "good deed" translation is that it is simply too arbitrary. It characterizes a mitzvah but does not define it. It relies on our willingness to act generously.

Mitzvah comes from the Hebrew root meaning "to command", or "to obligate". As unpalatable as it may be to most of us, God chose that particular parlance in his address to us. While we may have preferred a suggesting or nudging God, that is not what we found in the Torah. God’s uncanny sense of humanity was that we would need clear boundaries. He gives us both boundary and free will; a challenging combination but certainly that which separates humanity from the rest of creation.

In our blessings, "v'tzivanu" is usually translated as "and commanded us". The Gerer Rebbe, also known as the Sfat Emet, offered another translation for "v’tzinavu" based on what the Hebrew would allow. According to the Sfat Emet, "v'tzivanu" means, "and has made us a mitzvah." A mitzvah, therefore, according to the Sfat Emet, is not something that you do but rather something that you become."

Think of a time in which you transcend the mechanics of an act and, even for a brief moment, become it. Anyone who plays a musical instrument can probably relate to the times when the music flows through them, seemingly without their effort. The Rebbe's message is that we should give our mitzvot such attention that we embody them. Thus the Talmud's teaching that everyone should become a living Torah alas makes sense.

Looking forward to celebrating Shavuot with you on June 10th.

Cantor Ron Li-Paz