Mitzva.org

Stick-on, Stick-off Values
In many respects, the Western World mindset resembles the sticker.

One has only to consider the colourful "Post-It" pads that provide one of the essential pieces of "office" equipment within a modern workplace. These come in all colours, shapes and sizes and are easily stuck on and off almost all surfaces makes them ideal for memos.

The imagery of these stickers is indicative of contemporary twenty-first century values and ideals - values that can be attached and detached at will, ideals that are more often than not permanent. Instead, their stickiness is temporary. It is there to be applied, removed and re-applied later depending on the prevailing social fashion.

Today there are few -if any- absolute values. People immediately shy away from commitment, recoiling in horror with the fear, "I don't want to get involved!" To find a man of principle in our secular society is indeed a rarity, where ethical and moral behaviour is instead stuck and unstuck at ease. What is acceptable now is not guaranteed to remain so indefinitely.

Only a month ago I read an obituary for a famous public figure, who, without the slightest compunction, happily vindicated his hedonistic carefree existence saying, "I hate any sort of commitment. I hate the idea that my life in any way is restricted." This is light-years away from the binding adhesive of authentic Jewish living.

The foundation of Yiddishkeit - traditional Judaism thought - and mitzvah observance calls for an unyielding, steadfast commitment to the Torah and its unshakeable divine laws no matter the circumstances. These are the values and principles that truly stick the test of time.

Jewish Commitment
The true root of the Hebrew word emunah, usually translated as "faith", is actually related to the notion of "faithfulness" (See Shemos 17:12), of "a resolute and stalwart commitment"; no matter what the set of circumstances one faces.

Judaism is of an enduring, permanent commitment. The values within Torah are absolute. That is its endearing quality enshrined in the Jewish national pledge at the foot of Mount Sinai with their proclamation "We will do and we will understand" (Shemos 24:7) in their acceptance of Torah. Indeed, the mystical tradition explains that every Jewish soul - in that era and throughout the ensuing generations - were all present at the Divine Revelation.

A Jew's allegiance and life's dedication to an unswerving commitment to the Divine Will lie embedded deep within his roots. A building is only as good as its foundations. The stability and security of the foundations are the determination of the construction. Only where these are firm is there an indication of the future viability of the enterprise, of its degree of permanence. This is true of a skyscraper but also true for the spiritual foundation and "roots" of the chosen nation, namely the righteous Patriarchs, Matriarchs and our ancestors in the wilderness. Subsequent generations build upon the achievements of their predecessors.

The absolute, G-d-given values of the Torah were successfully transmitted from father to son down the ages. Every member of the Jewish people has the commitment and obligation to continue what the forefathers have started. It is a holy heritage and legacy dedicated to ensuring a lifetime of permanent values in accordance to the Torah.

Yiddishkeit is not a sticky "Post-It" that dries up within a short course of time. And it is quite unlike my daughter's stickers. A Jew's commitment to the Torah is absolute; it binds him forever. In a world awash with fear, gripped in terror and uncertainty, the Jewish people can indeed take great comfort from what stands as their guiding light. For the Torah is the everlasting adhesive connecting a Jew with his Creator for now and for eternity.