Sundays in our house are hardly a relaxing part of the weekend. In some ways, it is busier, involves much more coordination of schedules and is rather hectic. For our children, Sunday is potentially a great day. No Shabbat restrictions and no school means that our children go out of their way to cram as many things into Sunday as possible. No Shabbat restrictions and no School means that our children try to make Sunday the extraordinarily fun and exciting day. Of course this attitude is totally at odds with the parents who would prefer a relaxing and leisurely sort of day. Well needless to say, our children invariably carry the day. This past Sunday was typical of the “Sunday has to be the most exciting and extraordinary day” attitude. Our 6th grade daughter was invited to a Bat Mitzvah party. My wife and I were invited but as an aveil (a mourner) my wife could not attend, so I went with our daughter. In the mean time, my wife took our 4th grader to a social function at her school and dropped off our 2nd grade son at the first of two birthday parties. After running a few errands our son was picked up and then dropped off at the next party. By then the Bat Mitzvah Party concluded and I took our daughter home. I then went back to the school and picked up our other daughter whose program just ended. After re-convening at the house for a few moments, my wife and our two daughters had to run to the store, (for what – I do not know). I went to pick up our son from his second birthday party. He and I went to minyan and then we all finally caught up with each other at dinner. Of course, none of our children were hungry, having stuffed themselves with pizza candy and ice cream all day. After dinner they happily showered and went to bed. Exhausted and with stomachs hurting each child said the same thing to me as I kissed them goodnight. Each child was actually happy that this “exciting, extraordinary day” was over and they were happy to return to their everyday schedule. My wife and I agreed. Thankful that Sunday was finally ending we were only too happy to return to the comfort of everyday life.
Last week we read about the revelation at Sinai, with the thunder, the lightening, and a big booming voice. Last week we read the Aseret Dibrot, the Ten Commandments. Last week we were inspired by the words “I am the lord your god, you should have no other gods before me” “you shall keep the Sabbath holy”, respect your parents, and so on and so on. Of course these commandments are the bedrock of Judeo- Christian morality and society. However when the thunder and lightning are finished, and the big booming voice stops booming, B’nai Yisroel has Ten Commandments. However they still had a problem. They told Moshe to return to the mountain but they never acknowledged their acceptance of the Ten Commandments. We can almost imagine Bnai Yisroel so awestruck that they couldn’t muster an answer. After all, seeing a mountain on fire, the thunder, the lightning and a big booming voice, does not exactly lend itself to people nodding their head in understanding and approval. The moment was so awesome, so inspiring, that it utterly paralyzed Bnai Yisroel. Even the commandments themselves were so awe inspiring that Bnai Yisroel has no way to deal with the day to day issues of everyday life.
However, B’nai Yisroel, like the rest of us, could not and cannot live life in a state of revelation, awe and unable to function in the everyday world. As human beings, our ability to stay that awe-inspired, can only last a brief moment before we understand that we live here on earth and not in the spiritual realm. Now Bnai Yisroel had to learn how to behave like a nation of priests here, on an everyday basis. This week’s Parshah, Mishpatim, begins: V’Eilah Hamishpatim, And these are the judgments or laws that you [Moshe], shall put before them. God then lists a plethora of rules and regulations by which everyday life must be lived. The list enumerates how to solve problems that occur between community members: the treatment strangers and slaves and how to be a mentsche. Except for attorneys, this list of laws and statutes might seem incredibly uninspiring, dry, and non-spiritual.
Even in the dry, seemingly uninspired promulgation of these everyday laws, we learn a very valuable lesson. Parsha Mishpatim, with its plethora of laws and statutes provide us with the tools for everyday life. We know how to take the mundane and add meaning and holiness to it. Torah gives us the tools. We learn that revelation doesn’t happen too often. Grand, powerful, awe inspiring events don’t happen every day. If such moments did occur every day then those moments would cease being so grand, so powerful and so awe-inspiring. Certainly, each day can often run into another day without hearing a big booming voice, without fire without lightening or a smoking mountain. Every day can become quite mundane and routine. Judaism is not confined to one revelation, which only occurred at Sinai. We are capable of experiencing revelation everyday; it just won’t be the “Ten Commandments” type of revelation. Parshah Mishpatim tells how to do this. Every day, in our relationships with fellow human being, God, and ourselves; we have an opportunity to behave in a holy and mentschlekite manner.
Despite the mundane and dry presentation of these rules, Bnai Yisroel’s response is completely inspired. The response seems more appropriate to the inspired moments of the Ten Commandments. However by responding to the humdrum laws that govern everyday life, with the words Na’Aseh V’Nishmah We will do and we will learn, we learn a powerful lesson about the awe inspired moment of the Ten Commandments and the mundane aspects of daily life and everyday relationships. Bnai Yisroel’s answer suggests that we are capable of inspiring ourselves, by finding revelation, by experiencing revelation even in the mundane aspects of life, in learning, in struggling to combine the sacred and the profane and the holy and the mundane. By doing, by behaving, by treating other like a mentshe, by observing the mundane mitzvot of relationships we make it part of our lives then we can learn about it. It is only when we come down off the mountain, break down our walls, enter into the inner sanctum, and make the secular world fit into our observance that Judaism thrives. Torah and Mitzvot are approachable and accessible. It has come down from off the mountain. It has to be part of everyday life.
Peace,
Rav Yitz
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