This mitzvah is described in several of the sources as follows. Just as HaShem visits the sick so you too shall visit the sick. Just as HaShem buries the dead so you shall bury the dead. Just as HaShem marries off couples so you shall marry off couples. And so on. In other sources our mitzvah is described as follows. Just as HaShem is merciful you too shall be merciful. Just as HaShem is generous so you shall be generous, and so on.
From these two descriptions a multi-dimensional mitzvah emerges. On one hand the mitzvah instructs us to imitate HaShem in all His actions. On the second level the mitzvah directs us emulate HaShem. It is not enough to imitate His actions but we must actually become godlike.
Let us compress both components of the mitzvah into one directive; become just like G-D. This implies that we should both emulate and imitate HaShem. We should develop our godly qualities and practice them actively.
The implication of this mitzvah is that there is within every one of us innate godliness. If there would not be innate godliness HaShem would never instruct us to something that is impossible. The only argument that might be made is that perhaps even if there is no godliness in us nevertheless HaShem wants us to become godly by training ourselves. The answer to this is best illustrated by the following story told of Rambam, back in the 12th century.
The Rambam was the royal physician of the Sultan of Egypt. One of the Sultan’s other advisors was quite jealous of Rambam’s close relationship to the ruler. He told the Sultan that Rambam is not entirely open with his highness. Rambam claimed that an animal is animal and can never be trained to be humanlike. This advisor challenged this position claiming that Rambam knew it to be false. The Sultan raised the challenge to Rambam who maintained that his position was correct that it is not possible to train an animal to be humanlike. The jealous advisor set a date when he would have a cat serve a dinner to the Sultan and his guests. Of course Rambam was invited to the dinner. Before coming to the dinner Rambam placed a small mouse in the pocket of his robe.
The time came and all the guests were brought into the royal dining hall. Sure enough a cat, walking on his hind legs began to serve the guests! The first course went with no problems and things were looking bad for Rambam. The second course was soup. As the cat approached the table with the soup in his hands Rambam released his little friend from his pocket and instantly the cat dropped the soup returned to all four legs and chased the mouse leaving a royal mess.
Rambam’s lesson was that an animal is animal and whatever you will teach and train it to do, it will nevertheless remain an animal. If Man has no innate godliness in him that as much as he would try to emulate G.D it would be only imitation not true emulation, because a man can only be a man and not G.D.
Therefore our eighth mitzvah reveals to us that there is a part of us that is innately godly. This part of us is the neshoma (soul).
With this insight let us restate the eighth mitzvah as follows. The Torah instructs us to develop our neshoma to reach its potential by becoming godly. The specific course of action required to achieve this is by emulating and imitating HaShem.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Mtizvah 7: To Use HaShem’s Name when taking an oath
The Rambam teaches us the seventh mitzvah is that when taking an oath we must do so using His Name.
Rambam writes “Just as making an untrue oath is a prohibition, to make an oath of truth when the circumstance arises that require an oath, is a mitzvah. It is a great act because using HaShem’s Name in this context brings much respect and is a form of serving HaShem.”
It is important to point out that there is no mitzvah to make the oath; the mitzvah is that when a person makes the oath he should do so by invoking HaShem’s Name. This is similar to the mitzvah of slaughtering an animal in the correct manner which is a mitzvah. Although we are not obligated to slaughter an animal at all, nevertheless, when we choose to eat meat then we are obligated slaughter the animal in the proper fashion. Similarly, if one chooses not to take an oath they have that prerogative, nevertheless if they choose to take the oath it is a mitzvah to do so with HaShem’s Name.
There are other mitzvos that deal with the laws of taking oaths. It is noteworthy that Rambam does not list this mitzvah along with those mitzvos. Perhaps the reason for this is because this mitzvah can be classified with the primary mitzvos just as the other mitzvos that are listed with this mitzvah are. I use “primary” to describe mitzvos that deal with core religious issues such as loving HaShem and fearing HaShem rather than the mitzvos that are secondary such as fasting on Yom Kippur and blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.
In order to gain a comprehensive picture of this mitzvah it is worthwhile learning the various types of oaths.
1. Oaths that are administered by a Jewish court;
a. When the plaintiff brings a single witness who testifies that the defendant owes him a sum of money, which the defendant denies
b. When the defendant admits to part of the plaintiff’s claim but denies the rest
c. When a person who accepted responsibility to watch the other person’s article claims that the article was stolen
In these cases the defendant takes an oath administered by the court to the effect of his claim
2. Self administered oaths;
a. A person may take an oath to do something or to refrain from doing something for the purpose of motivating himself to do something good or to motivate himself in refraining himself from being involved in something wrong or harmful.
In all of these oaths the name of HaShem is invoked in the following manner. “By the truth of HaShem I do not owe more 50 dollars to the plaintiff (the plaintiff claimed that I owe him $100)”. “By the truth of HaShem the article was stolen in spite of my careful guarding of it.” “By the truth of HaShem I will not touch a cigarette for the entire month.”
In all of these circumstances there is a mitzvah to make the oath using the Name of HaShem.
Rambam writes “Just as making an untrue oath is a prohibition, to make an oath of truth when the circumstance arises that require an oath, is a mitzvah. It is a great act because using HaShem’s Name in this context brings much respect and is a form of serving HaShem.”
It is important to point out that there is no mitzvah to make the oath; the mitzvah is that when a person makes the oath he should do so by invoking HaShem’s Name. This is similar to the mitzvah of slaughtering an animal in the correct manner which is a mitzvah. Although we are not obligated to slaughter an animal at all, nevertheless, when we choose to eat meat then we are obligated slaughter the animal in the proper fashion. Similarly, if one chooses not to take an oath they have that prerogative, nevertheless if they choose to take the oath it is a mitzvah to do so with HaShem’s Name.
There are other mitzvos that deal with the laws of taking oaths. It is noteworthy that Rambam does not list this mitzvah along with those mitzvos. Perhaps the reason for this is because this mitzvah can be classified with the primary mitzvos just as the other mitzvos that are listed with this mitzvah are. I use “primary” to describe mitzvos that deal with core religious issues such as loving HaShem and fearing HaShem rather than the mitzvos that are secondary such as fasting on Yom Kippur and blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.
In order to gain a comprehensive picture of this mitzvah it is worthwhile learning the various types of oaths.
1. Oaths that are administered by a Jewish court;
a. When the plaintiff brings a single witness who testifies that the defendant owes him a sum of money, which the defendant denies
b. When the defendant admits to part of the plaintiff’s claim but denies the rest
c. When a person who accepted responsibility to watch the other person’s article claims that the article was stolen
In these cases the defendant takes an oath administered by the court to the effect of his claim
2. Self administered oaths;
a. A person may take an oath to do something or to refrain from doing something for the purpose of motivating himself to do something good or to motivate himself in refraining himself from being involved in something wrong or harmful.
In all of these oaths the name of HaShem is invoked in the following manner. “By the truth of HaShem I do not owe more 50 dollars to the plaintiff (the plaintiff claimed that I owe him $100)”. “By the truth of HaShem the article was stolen in spite of my careful guarding of it.” “By the truth of HaShem I will not touch a cigarette for the entire month.”
In all of these circumstances there is a mitzvah to make the oath using the Name of HaShem.
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