Advice for Life: Spiritual Heights
Earlier this week, I wrote about “Advice for Life”, a course based on the teachings of the leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, also known as the Rebbe (for the story of how I landed in this class, read here).
How does one achieve spiritual growth? Many books suggest that when we want to make such changes in life, we begin by looking inward; focusing on ourselves, changing our attitudes so that we will be motivated to make those changes. Rabbi Schneerson had a different perspective.
He had a “leap first” mentality.
He believed the Torah taught us to “focus on doing good right from the start.” In Likutei Sichot, which feature Rabbi Shneerson’s scholarly essays based on the Torah portion, he wrote:
“We could argue that in order for a Jew to begin performing mitzvot and drawing closer to G-d, they need to first learn about Judaism and about the laws and mitzvot of the Torah. They especially need to learn about G-d… In other words, we could argue that in order to do mitzvot, a person requires a proper introduction and training, comprehensive knowledge, etc.”
And yet, this is not the Rebbe’s perspective. Using the patriarch Abraham, he notes, “the very foundation and starting point of Abraham’s coming close to G-d is when ‘G-d told Abraham: Go!’.” It began with an action…
The lesson for us is this: If you want to come closer to God, and want to do good in the world, take the step. Do the mitzvah. We can, and should, study to have a deeper understanding of the Torah and the mitzvot. In Rabbi Schneerson’s view, however, don’t wait. Give charity, light the Shabbat candles, keep kosher, wear tefillin. Like Abraham, we should begin with action. Or, in his words, “leap first”.
—Rabbi David Woznica
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To register for Rabbi Woznica’s online class, “Favorite Moments in the Torah”, which meets on Mondays at 10:15 a.m., please click here.