When troublesome events of any kind enter our lives, we judge the outcome as good or bad, what we prefer or what we don’t. Those kinds of decisions set up the opposing forces of either pleasure or pain. Naturally, we crave the pleasure. The pain leads to all sorts of emotional upheaval, which may ultimately lead to more serious physical illness. Our tendency is to resist such unwelcome events, which is the ultimate source of our pain. Mitzvot, one could say, is the inner transition from resistance to acceptance. Mitzvot help us surrender our resistance, our sense of inner self shifts from identifying with form—the thought or the emotion—to recognizing ourselves as that which has no form—our real Self.

How could we deal with the painful side of events? The ability to give unconditionally is the position between the opposing forces, much like the central column in the diagram of the Sephirot, which is neither positive nor negative, but neutral. In that detached mode we learn to perceive the world as it is; we can see the reality of life, the stillness beyond thought and emotions. The events occurring in our day to day lives are the collisions we encounter with other people, places or things. Each event is within the grand scheme of things and destined to take place. The only real choice we have in reaction to unpleasant outcomes is to recognize and accept the divine existence of the situation. This concept is common in spiritual traditions throughout the world but is prevalent in Judaism through the system of Mitzvot.

Selfless giving not only unlocks the illusion of life events; it is also a vital theme running through all of Jewish mysticism. Children, especially babies, are all dependent upon their caregivers to receive every essential need to sustain life; the shift from receiving to giving is the hallmark toward maturity. Not only is this true in life, but is equally true in the metaphysical realm. The precept for giving is well documented throughout Jewish literature from the giving of charity to the needy, to giving hospitality to guests, to giving the bride her dowry and giving of our time and effort to visit the sick. Mitzvot and giving are synonymous.

Maimonides, Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, better known as the Rambam, sketched a series of steps, which evaluate gifts from self-centeredness to selfless, and it is the latter that feeds our lives spiritually. The art of giving is inextricably bound up with spiritual growth. The inability to give caused the vessels to shatter in the metaphysical realm that ushered in the need for Tikkun (repair). I’m proposing that the Mitzvot, the required actions of traditional Jewish law is the vehicle that teaches us selflessness. Giving from our heart brings us in touch with our authentic selves, the stillness within.

The third paragraph of the Sh’ma provides us with a neat summary of shifting from resistance to acceptance. “If, then, you obey the commandments that I enjoin upon you this day, loving, the Lord your God, and serving him with all your heart and soul, I will grant the rain for your land in season, the early rain and the late. You shall gather in your new grain and wine and oil. I will also provide grass in the fields for your cattle, thus you shall eat your fill. Take care not to be lured away to serve other gods and bow to them. For the Lords anger will flare up against you, and He will shut up the skies so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its produce; and you shall soon perish from the good land that the Lord is giving you” (Deuteronomy 11:13). This verse is trying to say that the life flows, like a river, in one direction. We can either go with the flow or resist it. Accepting the flow brings about abundance in all walks of life; resistance causes misery. Mitzvot , it says, are like stepping stones in the right direction.

The Kabbalah, introduces us to a concept called “sharing”. It is the essential element in the repair of the universe (Tikkun Olam), the purpose of all creation. Sharing, in this respect, emanates from the Sephira of Chesed (lovingkindness) and among other things asserts putting other people’s needs before your own. The challenge is to overcome egoistic urge of satisfying our own needs. For example, if I choose to give someone a gift with the intention getting something in return, even something as simple as a thank you note, I have defeated the purpose. We further learn that klippah, the shells that trap the spark of God in our lives, is the source of our ego consciousness. We become encased in a hard shell that separates us from the Source of Life.

It’s not so much the performance of the Mitzvah that counts, but it’s how we carry it out. For example we can create a kavannah, an intention which may be worded, “When I perform this Mitzvah I gaze beyond my thoughts and emotions and stand in the presence of the stillness within me”. Intending such an idea develops an awareness of our higher Self, who we truly are. This is the classic Hassidic notion of Bittul HaYesh, nullifying the ego. We may often wonder how these Mitzvot will affect us. We should not be concerned with the results of our actions—just give attention to the action itself;. The fruit will come of it’s own accord. Pirke Avot, a popular tractate of the Talmud, teaches, “He used to say: Be not like servants who serve their master for the sake of receiving a reward; instead be like servants who serve their master not for the sake of receiving a reward. And let the awe of heaven be upon you.” Mitzvot are consecrated actions, a powerful spiritual practice.

“But there are 613 commandments, how can we possibly do them all? In today’s world there are only just a few that can be done. Observing Shabbat and the annual cycle of holidays are legitimate Mitzvot. Beyond that there are just a few more that can be a part of our daily worship. We might include eating more in accordance with the rules of kashrut, reciting a blessing before meals, or engaging in prayer at times during the day. The term used in Hebrew for worship is Avodah, meaning service, another way of saying selfless giving. Which ones to observe is your choice. Kabbalah implies that certain spiritual forces are enlivened as the result of doing certain Mitzvot, but no one can say which ones.

Another question is—how conscientiously must we perform Mitzvot? The Shulchan Aruch, a offshoot of the Talmud, is the authoritative text, which details the complete performance of Mitzvot. It catalogs what the Rabbis legislated for Jewish spiritual living. The problem for today is that this literature was completed somewhere around 1500 years ago. Those were different times. Our world today bears very different values and conditions than those of previous centuries. Today we have greater access than ever before to information about world spiritual traditions, psychological research and current social trends. Especially now with liberal politics in vogue, and that we have no legislative mechanisms to establish a criteria for halachah (Jewish law). My guess is that by practicing those Mitzvot that feel comfortable, which ones work and which ones don’t, you will, in time, find a basis for adding more to your way of Jewish life.

In Hebrew the word for an illness is “mahala”, and the sources tell us that one gets well by transforming “mahala” into “ maholot”, another term for dancing. The Mitzvot are about dancing. The Talmud says that in the world to come, those who keep the Mitzvot will dance in a circle around The Holy One, He will lead them in a dance to immortality. The Mitzvot provides the lessons to this dance. They are like the footprints that are painted on the floor in a dance studio to teach the steps.

Velvel Spiegler www.jewishhealing.com
jewishealing@yahoo.com