By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
SAN DIEGO — How many times have you heard a rabbi say, “You should live a Jewish life?” Ad nauseam, I’m sure. Well, doing so is easier than you think!
A young man was studying with the chassidim of the Rebbe of Kotzk while his father-in-law supported him. He eventually had to leave the Beit Midrash (study house) to make his way on his own. He started a family, opened a business, and soon had very little time to study Torah and Chassidut.
He met with the Rebbe of Kotzk and lamented his fate. Before, he devoted his life to studying Torah and mitzvot, and now he barely had time to say his morning prayers.
The Rebbe told him, “It says in the Mishnah that God wanted to grant Israel merit, so God increased the Torah and multiplied the mitzvot. However, reason teaches us the opposite. If God wanted to grant Israel merit, God would have decreased the Torah and limited the mitzvot in order to enable hardworking Jews to be able to fulfill them. So why did God give us so much to learn and do? Because God knew that although all Jews don’t have a lot of time to study, they can still incorporate Torah and mitzvot into their daily lives.
“Take, for example, farm workers. They have to observe the mitzvot of leaving fallen sheaves and the corners of their fields unharvested for the poor. A person building a home has to remember the laws about placing the mezuzah and treating his workers properly.
“And a merchant, such as yourself, has to observe the lawsof correct weights and measures and dealing honestly with your customers.
“God gave us mitzvot to perform no matter where we are or what we are doing. As it says in parashat Eikev, “Therefore impress My words upon your very heart…and teach them to your children-reciting them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deut. 11:18-19) This is to teach us that God is always watching us, encouraging us, and loving us every minute of every day.” (Iturei Torah, Deut. 78)
Living a Jewish life certainly entails dedicating a specific time to Torah study and performing mitzvot. But it also entails incorporating a sense of religious obligation and sanctity into all of our daily tasks.
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Rabbi Rosenthal is spiritual leader of Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Diego. He may be contacted at leonard.rosenthal@tiferethisrael.com