The First Move

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear

During these days of Chanukah, we are celebrating the fact that we have freedom to serve Hashem as we please. The Yevanim made harsh decrees that prevented the Jewish People from being able to perform mitzvot until Hashem came and saved them from their hands. We know that man has no control in this world, and the Greeks had absolutely no power to harm. It was only because Hashem decreed that those persecutions should take place that the Greeks had any ability to make those decrees. The question is why did Hashem bring it about that His People should be deprived of being able to keep the Torah and mitzvot? The Bach writes in Hilchot Chanukah , it's because the Jews themselves became lax in their performance of the mitzvot . They did not value the mitzvot the way they should have, and that's why Hashem took away their opportunity to perform them. Mitzvot are the most precious commodities in the entire world. It is our greatest zechut to be able to perform them and it is not a given that whenever we decide we are ready to do them, they will be available to us. We have to value and appreciate the mitzvot to have the zechut to perform them. When the Jews were willing to be moser nefesh and even fight, at the risk of their lives, to get back that freedom to perform mitzvot, that is when Hashem made miracles for them and happily gave them back their treasured zechut . Hashem wants every single Jew to do every mitzvah the best way possible, but He doesn't just give us spiritual gifts for nothing. This is the one area in life where we have to perform. We have to have a strong will to want to do the Mitzvot and be ready to put in the efforts to fulfill them. Then Hashem will open the doors for us and give us the opportunities to perform them. I was getting ready to start learning with a young man named Shlomo the other day, right after finishing preparing for a class on the Amida . When he sat down, I asked him what a certain line meant in the Amida . They were some difficult words and he wasn't one hundred percent sure, so I proceeded to tell him the beautiful explanation that I had just read. After hearing that explanation, he smiled from ear to ear. He said, "I wish I knew the deeper meaning of all the words of the Amida . I really need to find time to do it." The very next day, he walked in and said, "You are not going to believe what happened this morning. When I was taking out my tefillin , I accidentally pulled out a small pamphlet that had on it a summary and explanations of every beracha in the Amida in English from Rav Avigdor Miller, zatzal . It had been there for almost two years, and I had completely forgotten that I ever put it there." He was so happy to show it to me. I told him, "This is unbelievable. When you said you wanted to learn more about the Amida, and were ready to do something about it, Hashem practically put this pamphlet right in your lap to start you off." The hashgacha here is amazing. For almost two years he has been opening that bag every morning and never noticed the pamphlet once. And now, when he expressed interest in learning about it, he "accidentally" pulled it out. Hashem wants everyone to know everything. He wants to help us so much with our Torah and mitzvot, but we have to make the first move. This is our job in the world. The more we want, the more He'll give us. But we have to really want first; and it has to be sincere. If someone really wants to become better in Mitzvot , he'll even pray to Hashem for His help in accomplishing it and that is the most beautiful tefila . May Hashem help us all use the potential that He gave us to fulfill our roles in His avodat hakodesh .