Thinking, Big and Small

One of the things I quickly learned when working out, is that when one stretches one part of the body, another part of the body reacts. It either reacts in pain or it is strengthened.  The dynamic of Torah works in a very similar way, our deeds have a parallel effect on ourselves, the entire community and perhaps the universe.

There are some mitzvos which are personal mitzvos, such as the mitzvah to wear tefillin or to respect your parents. When one does such a mitzvah it may effect him or her personally, there is reward for mitzvos. Conversely, when one does not do it, it may affect them negatively. It does not appear to have a parallel effect on anyone other than ourselves. Therefore, if someone else is not keeping such a mitzvah, we may mistakenly think that it really does not affect us.

Rav Reuven Sasson, in his masterpiece, VeShavsa Ha’aretz, explains that when we look at things from a broader, more spiritual perspective, we will see that in fact the entire Jewish community is made of one soul. Our every action either strengthens or weakens this soul. It is akin to a window that is a source of light; when a Jew is not acting correctly, the window becomes smudged and there is that much less light in the room. When one does a mitzvah, the window becomes cleaner and there is more light. This light corresponds to the Shefa of Bracha that we receive from Hashem. This is more widely known as כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה - All of Israel is responsible for one another.

Rav Sasson quotes from the Arizal that he would say all the extra Al Chet’s on Yom Kippur because that which one Jew has sinned is as if everybody has sinned. He explains further that it is for this reason that the Al Chet is said in the plural and not in the singular.

In this weeks Parsha, Behar, we are introduced to a new type of mitzvah. The mitzvah of Shemita. This is not the mitzvah of the individual, but the mitzvah of the community. This mitzvah teaches us about what it means to be part of the Jewish community. The communal mitzvah takes us out of our independent mindset and helps us think more broadly.

Being in Israel during the expulsion from Gush Katif in 2005 or when we were all praying for the safe return of Eyal, Gilad and Naftali back in 2014 have created some of the most monumental memories for me. These were surreal times. It was a time when every one felt connected to each other. When people would talk to each other on the bus. As sad as it was, it was in fact a beautiful time. Yet it was surreal. If another Jew was felt hurt, we all felt hurt. It was not to stay, we somehow went back to regular life afterwards.

Rav Sasson teaches us that the idea of Shemita is to create an entire year of living with a broader communal perspective.

Shemita is a year that is surreal.
Shemita is a year of love for each other.
Shemita is a year to look out for one another.
Shemita is a year where the entire ecosystem revolves not around personal gain but around what can we do for the other.

Dr. Daniel Kahneman writes about the differences between thinking fast and thinking slow. Perhaps the lesson of Shemita is about the differences between thinking big and thinking small.

Shemita is a time when we are all interconnected. It is also a time when we can reflect and ensure that we are connected with ourselves. It is a time to take all that we have accumulated until now and integrate it internally, in order to transform us into stronger individuals and a stronger people.