I was in conversation with a friend recently about the merit in following the Moedim and seeking to obey the commandments of the scriptures. As was expected, the conversation went something along the lines of: “Surely, GOD does not expect us to do all 613 commandments. I don’t want to come under that sort of bondage!” My response was probably not as gracious as it could be, but it went something along these lines.
We are not expected to do all the commandments, we can’t. I’m not a woman, therefore not all the commandments apply to me. I’m not a judge, priest or king etc. Just in the same way that in the highway code, I’m not a truck driver, or a motorcyclist or pedestrian all the time. Laws or instructions don’t apply to me if I am not in those roles, but the fact that they exist and do apply to others means that the world is potentially a safer place and that order exists so that we can all co-exist. I am not a pilot, but aviation law exists not only to keep those in the air safe, but also those of us on the ground.
But actually none of this is the point.
The point is that if the law exists, and I have to be careful here, because today, laws are being made that are claimed as being beneficial to us all, but are in fact a form of totalitarian dictatorship; if the law exists, then it is there to teach us and guide us into something good or away from something that will do us harm, and it is our ability to discern and choose which is the gift that we have been given as human beings; a gift that does not belong to any other species on this planet.
As it says in the book of Psalms: The Torah of Adonai is perfect, restoring the inner person. The instruction of Adonai is sure, making wise the thoughtless. (Psalms 19:7)
Or in the Apostolic writings: But if a person looks closely into the perfect Torah, which gives freedom, and continues, becoming not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work it requires, then he will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:25)
If the law exists in the context of those laws created by GOD that are found in the scriptures; Do we believe that our loving Heavenly Father created a bunch of instructions just to set us up for a fall? The unequivocal answer to that is NO!
So how do we approach this?
There is a wonderful parable that I came across during my reading on Yom Kippur from Rabbi Simcha Zisel Ziev of Kelm which sums up what our response should be, found in the Artscroll commentary on the book of Jonah which is read on Yom Kippur.
” Once there was a king who promised great rewards to anyone who could scale an enormous ladder of a hundred widely spaced rungs. People heard of the reward and rushed to come and claim it, but when they saw the ladder, they left without even attempting the climb. Clearly the task was impossible of achievement; the king must have been mocking his loyal subjects. One by one the candidates drifted away until only one remained. Did he think he could do it? No – but he was driven by a stubborn thought. The king was neither a fool nor sadist. If he offered the challenge then it must be possible to climb that ladder. And if the king were convinced that it could be done, then this one remaining person would make the attempt. The others laughed at him, reviled him, taunted him. What a fool he was to attempt the impossible! He was doomed to climb a few rungs and then fall off, exhausted and humiliated. He began to climb. Five rungs. Six rungs, his strength was giving out. Seven rungs. His legs were like rubber. Eight rungs. His lungs were bursting. Nine rungs. Total exhaustion. He was ninety-one rungs short of success, but he could go on no longer. About to fall, he thought again of the king’s challenge. “It must be possible or the king would not have asked it!” He summoned up all his strength and determination and struggled up one more rung. Then, just as he was about to collapse, he felt himself lifted, as if by a huge magnet, and placed atop the ladder. He had succeeded because, without knowing how it could be done, he had had faith in the king. Indeed the royal wish was not that all one hundred rungs be climbed, for that was impossible. What the king wanted was that people make this attempt and dedicate themselves totally to reach the limit of their ability – more was not required; the king would do the rest”
The commentary goes on: “So it is in our spiritual quest. GOD wants us to scale heights that no human can imagine; but He does not expect us to do it alone. He only asks that we make the effort – a sincere, diligent, uncompromising effort. By making the attempt we earn His help.”
I particularly like this comment, because it shows the fundamental misunderstanding that most believers have about following GOD’s commandments in light of the finished work of Messiah Yeshua. Salvation in terms of that “work” was never to be an “earned through works” issue. To reverse the sin of the first Adam would be impossible for any man. We cannot travel back in time and we are born with the same fundamental flaw – we desire to be god. No, what we needed was a new start, to be “born again” not just spiritually, but each day as we rise from sleep – our daily practice of death – to be resurrected once again to a new day and have our souls restored to us by the keeper of our souls. We have been given a new start through Messiah Yeshua. He has begun the process.
The commentary continues: “By making the attempt we earn His help – the help that makes success possible” – this last quote was from Rabbi Mordecai Gifter.
But I would like to point us to another Rabbi who spoke in a very similar manner to his followers:
Yeshua said, “I will be with you only a little while longer; then I will go away to the One who sent me.” (John 7:33) And also: “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I don’t go away, the comforting Counsellor will not come to you. However, if I do go, I will send him to you. “When he comes, he will show that the world is wrong about sin, about righteousness and about judgment —about sin, in that people don’t put their trust in me; about righteousness, in that I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; about judgment, in that the ruler of this world has been judged. “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own initiative but will say only what he hears. He will also announce to you the events of the future. He will glorify me, because he will receive from what is mine and announce it to you. Everything the Father has is mine; this is why I said that he receives from what is mine and will announce it to you.” (John 16:7-15)
One more quote from the commentary:
“Let Wisdom see blemish. Let Prophecy see destruction. Let Torah see partial atonement through offerings. GOD sees Repentance. He sees his children approaching Him and He goes out to meet them. He supports their efforts and eases them: “Make me a single opening of repentance like the point of needle. Then I will provide you with entrances that wagons and carriages can enter. “(Song of Songs Rabbah 5:3)”
Rabbi Mendel of Kotzk commented that the opening of repentance need only be as tiny as the point of a needle, but it must be all the way through. The intention to gain greatness must be sincere. Then the ultimate achievement, thanks to GOD’s help, is infinitely greater than any human effort could make possible.”
There is a very similar quote from my Rabbi:
Then Yeshua said to his talmidim, “Yes. I tell you that it will be very hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Furthermore, I tell you that it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” When the talmidim heard this they were utterly amazed. “Then who,” they asked, “can be saved?” Yeshua looked at them and said, “Humanly, this is impossible; BUT WITH GOD EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE!“ (Matthew 19:23-26)
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