The Spiritual Side of Mitzvot
by Velvel “Wally” Spiegler

What is it about mitzvot, the very backbone of Judaism, the system of actions that informs every step of Jewish life that makes them so sorely neglected? Are mitzvot the useless vestiges of an ancient society or are they the flames that kindle the Jewish soul? Are we so materialistically inclined that we can’t do anything without compensation? Mitzvot were and still are the source that vitalizes Jewish life.

If you want the party line rationale, ask any rabbi to explain the general categories of mitzvot, and you’re bound to hear just two: the mishpatim (those commandments that have a rational basis) and chukim (those that intellectually don’t make sense). In the first category you find those that seem to promote peaceful relations within the community, such as the commandment to pay a laborers wages every day.  All of the rest appear to have no logical foundation like the rule about refraining from eating meat and milk together. There are many more. It’s just that the rational approach just yields two; but by looking at the subject spiritually, an entire panoply of possibilities exists.

Further analysis reveals deeper and more meaningful reasons to maintain at least a degree of mitzvah observance.  For example, we learn that ritual observance provides us with an everlasting connection with God; the nature of spirituality demands that relationship. Such a connection clinches the knowledge that all of the uncertainties of life will resolve satisfactorily. That, in other words, is faith. When we demand detailed assurance of how future will materialize, we have lost contact with the sacred.

In order to survive as a nation in Diaspora, mitzvot are needed to uphold the principles of justice. Some call these moral laws, but I prefer to think of them as human values, which is our innate knowledge of good and evil. We really don’t need laws to define our moral principles, except that some people get carried away with self-seeking ideas that cause them to behave unjustly. God’s commandments with its system of discipline, helps to keep potential wrongdoers in line. Many of the commandments, like the one requiring us to maintain honest weights and measures, enable us to maintain a just society. How can the Jewish people otherwise convince a hostile world of our virtues, unless we demonstrate our own just behavior?

Mitzvot are prayers in action. As we refrain from work on Shabbat and devote the day to contemplative rest, we perform prayers without words. Sacred actions that we carry out have far greater spiritual significance than any words we can imply. Words are products of thoughts and feelings, but action turns immediately towards the spiritual realm. According to the Kabbalah, the World of Action symbolizes the densest level of spiritual energy, which has no where to flow other than to return upwards to its Source.

In every culture throughout the world, ritual action functions as the primary teaching tool for cultures that transmit their tradition orally. Before the invention of the written word, Torah narrative and the commandments would only have been transmitted orally. Among the teachings our early ancestors endeavored to transmit were lessons in spirituality, not politics or morality.  How would holiness, for example, be taught when no written documents existed in those days? Holiness means “setting apart”—the sacred from the profane. Mitzvot like observing Shabbat taught primarily the “setting apart” of holy time from secular time.

Jewish tradition appeals to the soul, that part of the human being, which is the middleman between God, and ourselves, or what we commonly think of as the real self. Much to the dismay of those who consider themselves god-fearing, mitzvot address the soul, not the intellect. The soul requires nurturing. It demands a balance between the attraction of the material world and its impelling desire to return to the Source of Life.  Mitzvot are the perfect medium by which we provide nourishment for the soul.  We may not see immediate results from satisfying the needs of the soul, but we also don’t have to wait for Olam HaBah (the world to come). We can experience an awakening of the soul in Olam HaZeh (this world). That happens when the balanced soul enables us to change the way that we see this world, when we can drop our dependency on the material world and find pleasure in the simplicity of life.

Celebrating the Jewish holidays, which in themselves are highly acclaimed mitzvot, entice the soul to travel in harmony with the seasons of the year. The soul is sensitive to the changes in the agricultural year because it desires to be a part of God’s natural world. The theme of rebirth, so evident in the Passover Seder, assists the soul as it commences the cycle of renewal. Shavuot instructs the soul to its expansive nature in the heat of the summer, while Succot starts the cycle of maturity and forthcoming dwindling stage towards winter. So sensitive are our souls to nature that to honor the seasons satisfies our longing to be in harmony with The Holy One.
 
It’s difficult for many Jewish people to take mitzvot seriously. Its value is in doing your soul a favor, not your health or your pocketbook. It’s sometimes difficult to understand the importance of nurturing the soul, but if you analyze all the obstacles in life, you will eventually come to realize that it’s the soul that’s directing the traffic. To the extent that we desire some spiritual direction in our lives, we could take on the observance of some mitzvot. The Talmud’s calculation of 613 mitzvot is only an arbitrary number. Any one who strictly observes the mitzvot will tell you it’s not possible to observe them all, and when you boil down the number that can actually be honored, it amounts to maybe 20 or 30. Couldn’t we possibly take on a few each day as a spiritual practice? By avoiding blatantly non-kosher foods and reciting a short blessing before we eat, we acknowledge that God provides for our needs in this world.  By becoming aware that every Saturday is Shabbat, we can temper our activities in more social ways, being mindful that those twenty-four hours express sacredness.