Afterlife: The Jewish View: Where are we headed? by Jonathan Morgenstern

Author:Jonathan Morgenstern [Morgenstern, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781937887254
Publisher: Mosaica Press
Published: 2018-01-02T17:00:00+00:00

4. Torah and Mitzvos: Rules of the Spiritual World and keys to eternity

We have the ability to measure our Physical World and understand its physical rules. That is why we have science. We do not have the same ability regarding the Spiritual World and its rules. God therefore provided us instructions: the Torah. (In fact the word Torah actually means “instructions.”84)

Mitzvos are the specific actions commanded within the Torah. They teach us how to “operate” the Spiritual World so that maximum blessing flows forth into our lives. Just as an e-mail sent without the proper address will not reach its destination, so too actions that are not aligned with spiritual realities will not trigger the most positive spiritual responses.

Still, the impact of mitzvos is much deeper than just triggering spiritual responses.

The term mitzvah has become synonymous with both “commandment” and “good deed.” Both explanations are true, but neither provides a full understanding of the Hebrew word’s essence.

• We are certainly commanded to keep the mitzvos, so to translate as “commandment” is accurate. Still, a commandment implies a benefit to the commander with an element of coercion being applied to the commanded. This is misleading because God only commanded us out of love and the desire to give to us. God has no needs. Performing mitzvos is fully in our best interest so that we may derive maximum pleasure from this world and the Next World.85

• When we perform mitzvos, we are indeed performing good deeds, so the word is accurate. The problem with the term good deed is that people use the word good to mean just about anything they agree with. In the Torah’s eyes, it is not a subjective standard. While overlap might exist between an individual’s definition of good and the Torah’s (e.g., helping an old lady across the street), a subjective interpretation leaves the possibility for a person to be influenced by his desires and thus rationalize any behavior as good. Furthermore, without an objective definition of good, how is someone supposed to know how to act when faced with complicated situations (e.g., choosing which life to save and similar situations)?

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