I also think we can connect this to a concept in Judaism about "lifniim mishurat ha'din" which is a phrase that refers to going above and beyond the law of the Torah. When we do things in this manner, we do more than is required when following the law. This is kind of related to the idea of letter vs. spirit because it allows us to reflect on the true intentions of our actions. What is the purpose of everything we do? Do we consider our intentions before we do thinks? And to make this even more general, do we think before we speak or act? These are the kinds of things I love learning about in Chumash because it is so easy to relate it to our lives. These kinds of concepts seem so simple and natural, but in reality they are not easy to do at all. They are the minor things in life that we may neglect or overlook, but the truth is that they are very important and substantial to the way we live.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Letter vs. Spirit
So today in Chumash Mrs. Perl brought up a concept about the letter of the law vs. the spirit of the law. I think this is fascinating concept that is prevalent in our lives today. Not only according to the law in terms of the government or the justice system, but even with simpler things like when our friends or parents ask us for a favor. We may just literally do what they ask or do it with more care and thought. It's all about intentions. There are so many examples that I'm sure we could all think of but here's an easy one. When we know we have to come to davening at school: if we literally follow the law (letter of the law) we could just show up. But if we follow the spirit of the law, we can come to davening and actually daven to Hashem. That is the spirit of the law. So here's my question for you - do we do things in the letter of the law or the spirit of the law? I do not think that we often consider the spirit of the law, and we more than often focus on just completing the task at hand or maybe even not following the law in the correct way.
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This is a wonderful idea and makes so much sense. I think that the way we act today is simply not good enough. It is very hard to go above and beyond the mitzvot because to many people they seem like such a burden on our lives. This is very sad, but a lot of it is true. I know that when I do certain mitzvot I do not do them with the most care and thought like I should. For example, saying a bracha on food is very difficult for me to remember to do and I feel that even when I do say a bracha it is simply because I am hungry and want to eat. Instead, I should probably be focusing more on what the bracha means and what I am thanking Hashem for, but it is very difficult. Today most people struggle with the mitzvot and this is why mentioning the whole letter of the law vs. spirit of the law is important. Sometimes we need reminders about why we are doing the Mitzvot and what our intentions should really be when performing them.
ReplyDeleteSade-
ReplyDeleteI loved this post, and it reminded me a lot of my groups on Shabbos morning. I talked a lot about the chesed that Rivka did for Eliezer the servant. Rivka not only got Eliezer water, but she also got his ten camels water. This must've been a very strenuous task for such a young girl. We also must remember that Eliezer was a servant. It's not like he was a famous man who would expect such chesed. This makes Rivka's deed even more amazing. I think this is a perfect example of lifnim mishurat ha'din. Eliezer didn't ask Rivka for water for her camels but she got them water anyway. Plus, these are animals not people! I think this example is exactly why Rivka was the perfect wife for Yitchak.
Obviously, like you said, this sounds simple but it's actually very hard. I think we should all strive to be like Rivka and always care about the world around us.