People say that “it’s better to do the right thing for the wrong reasons than the wrong thing for the right reasons.” But surely, everyone would agree that we should strive to do the right thing for the right reasons.
In this week’s Torah portion, Vaera, we will read about seven of the 10 plagues that struck Egypt. Just before the seventh plague of hail, the Egyptians “who feared the word of God” herded their cattle and livestock from the fields into their barns and under other cover to protect them from the looming hailstorm.
This Shabbat is also known as Shabbat Mevorchim, when, during the synagogue Shabbat service, we bless the new Hebrew month—in this case, the month of Shevat, which will start later in the week. In most communities, the blessings begin with an introductory prayer, Yehi Ratzon, in which we ask the Almighty to bless this new month for us all. This prayer, almost verbatim from the Talmudic sage Rav in the third century is, in my humble opinion, one of the most beautiful prayers in the entire siddur. It begins, “May it be God’s will to inaugurate this new month for goodness and blessing,” and continues by asking for virtually everything a person needs in life.
On the physical side, we pray for longevity, good health, prosperity, peace, honor, a life filled with blessings, and a good, long and happy life.
On the spiritual side, we ask for a life with a fear of heaven and fear of sin, a life filled with the love of Torah, and where all our heartfelt prayers will be answered.
Note the language, “fear of heaven and fear of sin.”
I’m sure you’ve heard the term “a God-fearing person.” What does it mean to fear God? Must we cower in the corner to avoid heavenly lightning bolts raining down on us? Is God an angry, vengeful tyrant who punishes us every time we step out of line?
This is not the authentic Jewish view. We believe God to be our loving Father in Heaven who truly wants only the best for His beloved children. Yes, we believe in reward and punishment, but this is reserved primarily for the world to come.
Why then do we speak of a “fear of heaven and fear of sin?”
By fear, we mean respect, reverence and awe. “Fear of heaven” means having respect and reverence for God, while “fear of sin” means fear of sin itself. It is sin that causes a distance between us and God, and what we should be afraid of. We want to be close to God, but violating God’s will creates a barrier between us. These are fears and concerns that are healthy and will motivate us to do good and stay away from wrong.
But then there is “fear of punishment.” There is a big difference between fear of God and fear of punishment. In the one, you have respect and reverence for the Almighty. In the other, you are simply looking after yourself and it is a simple question of expediency.
The Egyptians, “who feared the word of God,” were not “God-fearing.” The “word” of God is not God. The “word” means promised punishment to be meted out to the Egyptians if they refused to let God’s people go.
They weren’t afraid of God; they were afraid of the hail! They were afraid of their livestock getting wiped out. Did they have respect and reverence for Hashem? No, not at all. They were afraid of getting smacked. They were afraid for their own backsides.
And how do we know this?
Because a little while later, after the Jews had left Egypt, Pharaoh and the Egyptians came running after them in hot pursuit and caught up to them at the sea. The Jews were caught between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, literally.
And the question is asked: Where did the Egyptians get the horses to pursue the Jews? Didn’t all their animals die in the plagues of pestilence and hail? And the answer is that they got them from these same so-called “God-fearing Egyptians!”
But if they were so God-fearing, then why did they give their horses away to the Egyptian army to go after the Jews? The answer is that they were not God-fearing at all. They were “punishment-fearing.”
I have often wondered whether people who are Torah-observant are really and truly religiously motivated, or if they are merely superstitious. For example, do we put up a mezuzah because we want to do a mitzvah and declare our home to be a place where God is present? Or do we put a mezuzah because we heard that they are good for security and cheaper than building a wall around the house?
Are we practicing, observant Jews because it is the right thing to do or because we are afraid that if we sin we may burn in hell?
Do we want to get closer to God, which is what every mitzvah helps us do? Or do we want to make sure that our life in the Hereafter will be pleasant, and we won’t have to worry about Satan and his pitchforks? Are we only looking after ourselves, or are we trying to make the world a better, more godly place?
Yes, being a good Jew will get you to heaven and will assure you of a good life for eternity. But is that the ideal, correct motivation to live Jewishly?
Being an observant Jew does not mean being simple, unsophisticated and superstitious. Not desecrating Shabbat is not the same as avoiding walking under ladders and black cats. An observant Jew should be thoughtful, sensitive, intelligent and discerning.
We do not ask in our monthly synagogue prayer to be inspired by a fear of punishment. Rather, we pray to have a genuine fear of heaven—of God—and not recoiling from God or dodging His punishments. Fear here means reverence so that we should truly want to do His will, and become more connected and closer to Him. And fear of sin means fear of sin itself and the distance that it creates between us and God. That is what we should be afraid of, not punishment.
So, while it is certainly better to be observant than non-observant, hopefully, we can be good for higher, deeper, more meaningful, and more mature reasons. May we always do the right thing for the right reasons. May we all be God-fearing Jews and not punishment-fearing Egyptians.
Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov!
