What's Your Religion Worth To You?

In Parshat Nitzavim Moshe encourages the Jewish People to engage in “the mitzvah.” Some suggest that it refers to the entire Torah. Others suggest that Moshe refers to the mitzvah of teshuva, repentance.

For this commandment which I command you this day, is not concealed from you, nor is it far away.		יאכִּי הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם לֹא נִפְלֵאת הִוא מִמְּךָ וְלֹא רְחֹקָה הִוא:
12It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?"		יבלֹא בַשָּׁמַיִם הִוא לֵאמֹר מִי יַעֲלֶה לָּנוּ הַשָּׁמַיְמָה וְיִקָּחֶהָ לָּנוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵנוּ אֹתָהּ וְנַעֲשֶׂנָּה:
13Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?"		יגוְלֹא מֵעֵבֶר לַיָּם הִוא לֵאמֹר מִי יַעֲבָר לָנוּ אֶל עֵבֶר הַיָּם וְיִקָּחֶהָ לָּנוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵנוּ אֹתָהּ וְנַעֲשֶׂנָּה:

The implication is that although the mitzvah may seem daunting, it is in fact available and accessible to all to embrace.

On this notion, Rashi makes an interesting comment:

It is not in heaven: for if it were in heaven, you would have to climb up after it [in order] to learn it. - [Eruvin 55a]

לא בשמים היא: שאלו היתה בשמים היית צריך לעלות אחריה וללומדה:

Whereas the text assures us of the Torah’s accessibility, the Talmud interjects how Torah/ Teshuva is worth the sacrifice, if/when need be.

I wonder why the Talmud adds this perspective. Is it to give strength and encouragement to Jews who lived through difficult times, oppression, poverty, Anti-Semitism?  Or is it speaking to a time when people live in relative ease and comfort. Might the Talmud be challenging such people to think about what the Torah is really worth and what they should be willing to do in order to follow it.

There’s a saying “if you have nothing worth dying for, then you have nothing worth living for either.”

I’m not suggesting that we rue the fact that God has blessed American Jewry with safety and freedom to practice our religion. I’m not suggesting that religious practice or faith needs to be challenging in order to be meaningful. I am just pointing out that our religious freedoms in America are unprecedented in Jewish history- as are our rates of intermarriage and “dropping out” of Judaism.

Are people opting out because they don’t view Judaism as demanding enough? Would we have more passionate Jews if we required them to go to the heavens to retrieve their heritage?

I am reminded of an idea from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, in his Book Future Tense. In his experiences, Pesach and Yom Kippur, the two most difficult Jewish holidays are the ones most observed. In fact, surveys come out almost every year that confirm this.

Why is this? Rabbi Sacks quotes Leon Festinger, whose theory of cognitive dissonance explains that “we value the most what costs us the most.” More sacrifice means more commitment, and though it is true that historically Jews sacrificed for Judaism because they valued it, it is also true that they valued it because they sacrificed for it.

Even those who remain within the fold of Jewish tradition, especially our youth, may not be sure whether Torah is worth storming the heavens in order to retrieve. And if that’s the case, and we don’t have anything worth sacrificing for, do we know what we are living for? The upcoming High Holidays is the right time to think about this.