Friday, August 31, 2012

More than a New Year's Resolution

At the entrance of the land of Israel, God demands much of the Israelites before entering the land in this week's Torah portion. The reading includes a hodgepodge of commands the Jews need to hear upon reaching the Promised Land. At the beginning of the portion, God discusses how men go about pursuing various types of women. God discusses the laws of intercourse with captives of war, virgin fiancees, unengaged virgins,and women a man already divorced. The majority of the laws relate to Biblical times, and they are somewhat outdated for the women of today, making it seem like a woman needs to either belong to her father or her husband like an object. Later, God talks about punishment for men who commit foul acts against virgins. Moving on from such romantic topics, the next serious of laws pertain to loaning money to both Israelites and gentiles. For other Israelites, the loaner ignores interest, but one includes interest for non-Jews. Finally, God outlines who to welcome and exclude from the land of Israel. God encourages the Israelites to welcome Edomites and Egyptians for their generosity in times of famine with Joseph and trouble in the desert. Before the Torah concludes, a lot of the parashot, like this week's Ki Teitzi, review the laws necessary for the Jews to go about life in the land of Israel. In the midst of these several, random laws, God makes a stern claim about keeping promises. God asks of the Jews to keep their promises. Breaking a promise with God equates to a sin. Vows with God are not necessarily extreme either. Once one makes a vow, God expects one to see it through its finish. Empty promises are easy to produce. Success derives from effort more than anything else. By setting a goal or making a vow, we create a standard for ourselves. God expects us to strive toward this direction, not simply observing a law but also maintaing our own integrity in the process. The commandment encourages us to chase our aspirations further than we sometimes want to go. One famous promise explemplifies the importance of this following. John Kennedy swore to send Americans into space. Imagine if the president created this hype without a plan or an effort afterward. The promise was to his people rather than God, but it nonetheless required more than simply "talking the talk". With this in mind, it seems appropriate to discuss this law as September approaches. Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur seem like perfect times to form promises with God and ourselves. Rosh Hashana represents a new beginning a time to call for an end of old weights and unnecessary existences of problems. Yom Kippur provides the opportunity to address these issues and conceive ways to correct them. The High Holy Day process involves a lot of self-reflection and the settings of goals that address our moral beings. Whether one believes in God or not, this time of year allows us to make vows to ourselves on how to improve our decency. God or no God, it remains important to pause and sift through which actions during the year were righteous and which harmful. Of course, these vows are more than new years resolutions. In January, many of us swear to lose weight or stay organized. On Rosh Hashana, we determine our direction toward making society more habitable. We humuliate ourselves in thinking about our sins, and then we set goals to address the desparities of our better spirit. This year, I challenge any reader of this intrepretation to take action with this law. Make a promise to God or yourself that pertains to how to improve your moral character. More importantly, push yourself to continually follow this goal until it is as real as the late Neil Armstrong's footprint on the Moon. Rather than fearing a sin against God, keep this promise to not sin against yourself by losing this opportunity for imrpovement.

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