Spiritual Growth
Adapted from Rabbi Braun’s sermon in 5766
Elul is the month that reminds us that Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are around the corner and it is time to begin taking stock of the past year, our spiritual progress or the lack thereof and what is in store for us in the coming year.
I want to approach the topic of spiritual progress thru the verses dealing with the laws of vows and oaths and our obligation to meet those commitments.
We read in chapter 23 of Devarim:
- When you shall vow a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not be slack to pay it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you; and it would be sin in you.
- But if you shall forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in you.
- That which is gone out of your lips you shall keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according to what you have vowed to the Lord your God, which you have promised with your mouth.
When I first read these psukim I was drawn to them because they seemed to be talking about honor and truth and your obligation to meet your commitments and stick to your word. That is an important value and one that has real ramifications for us in our every day lives. But once you stop to read the verses more carefully you realize that they are not talking about simply doing what you say or meeting commitments to your fellow man; they are talking specifically about things that you promise to do for God. These verses are talking about voluntary offerings to God i.e. when you choose to take that next spiritual step. Although the verses are talking about voluntary offerings I think that many of the ideas apply to resolutions to keep the obligatory mitzvoth as well.
With that as the backdrop let us look at these laws and see what they have to teach us about spiritual progress and the desire to perform more mitzvoth.
There is a lot of apparent repetition in the verses and what we really should do is to work through the verses and figure out what each of the phrases means and what they refer to but we will skip that exercise and focus on those ideas and truths that are relevant to the topic at hand.
There is a wonderful and meaningful contrast here between thought, speech and action.
In verse 24 we are told, מוֹצָא שְׂפָתֶיךָ תִּשְׁמֹר – that which comes out of your mouth you must adhere to. The Midrash and later commentators all explain that this comes to exclude thoughts that are in your mind or fluttering in your heart. If you think to yourself that I am going to do a,b or c for God or bring a specific sacrifice, that alone will not create the obligation, you actually have to speak it aloud. The reason for this is quite simple- it is easy to think about doing many things that we now do not do. But as long as we keep them inside and do not let the thought out, that is where it stays. Once we have the courage to give verbal expression to our thoughts and wishes, to let them out, then they become a reality and can create an obligation and impel us to act.
So step # 1 for some one who wishes to do more is to do more than think about it. You need to get to the next level and verbalize it. Once you can do that the Torah has a word of caution and advice- לֹא תְאַחֵר לְשַׁלְּמוֹ do not delay in meeting that obligation. Our sages in the Talmud teach us that you have one cycle of pilgrimage festivals to fulfill the vow before you are considered to be negligent, but they urge you to meet it as soon as the opportunity presents itself.
Here too the lesson is both clear and critical. Once you have the desire to do more and have committed yourself you are most likely to succeed if you move quickly to do it. The longer you wait the harder it will be to implement and that for two reasons:
- The longer you wait the more that desire subsides and lessens.
- The longer you wait, the more you think about your choice, the more time you have to rethink your choice and remain satisfied with the status quo and you end up doing nothing.
So much for the relationship between thought and speech. Let’s now move on to relationship between speech and action. Taking a vow and giving verbal expression to one thought’s is certainly one way to impel us to act but it is an ideal? Is there possibly a better way to go about doing it? That tension is evident in verse 22 and 23.
Verse 22 tells us that when you take a vow you must fulfill it.
Verse 23 then says but if you do not take a vow that is not a sin.
So which is it? Should we take the vow or not? That is not clear from our text and is debated in the mishnah , Talmud and later works.
The side which argues against taking vows has two clear and important lessons for us.
- The Ramban, Nachmonides, writes that very often people who take vows do not clearly appreciate what they are committing to and often take on more than they can handle. The person who promises God too much and cannot deliver is a fool says the Ramban. Rather you should look to see what you can handle and don’t get tempted into committing to too much at once. I would add that not only is he a fool, but that kind of situation can also lead to spiritual digression and despair. The feeling that “I can’t do it” might lead to a similar approach to mitzvoth that you are already practicing etc.
- Another danger inherent in taking vows is that sometimes these vows take the form of a spontaneous outburst; we commit to doing things without giving any thought to it whatsoever. And three seconds later we are sorry.
Very often we take vows or commit to things that we have not fully thought out or have given no thought to at all. Real spiritual growth comes as result of giving thought to what is reasonable at the moment.
Implicit in each of these critiques as well is the most critical point. Instead of thinking about it or even talking about it, simply do it! Maybe that is the most effective way to progress?
The gemara in chulin on its first page makes that very point. The best it says is one who does not take vows at all, but one who simply brings the sheep to the courtyard and slaughters it. Like the famous Nike slogan, sometimes it is best to just do it!
