Would You Kill Baby Hitler?
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Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi said, “One should live with the times.”
At first glance, this could imply adapting to current ideologies and trends, but the Alter Rebbe often repeated this dictum with a far different intention. He’d explain that “one should live with, and experience in one’s own life, the specific teachings of that week’s Torah portion.”
The Torah connects and enriches people worldwide. Its timeless lessons are always relevant. This week’s Torah portion contains allusions to the approaching High Holidays, the Days of Awe, calling on us to initiate the process of spiritual introspection. Not surprisingly, it begins, “See: I put before you this day a blessing and a curse—a blessing if you listen to the commandments of your God…and a curse if you do not listen to the commandments of your God.”
Ibn Ezra notes that although Moshe was speaking to the entire Jewish People, the Hebrew word re’eh, see, is used in the singular. This indicates that every person is to listen to what Moshe is saying as if he was speaking to him or her individually.
Let’s relate this to attending a lecture on character development. It’s typical to think, “I don’t have to take the speaker’s words personally, since he’s not speaking directly to me.” Is this a helpful attitude? Of course not. Try instead to contemplate how you can apply what you’re hearing to your own life. Imagine that the speaker’s words are directed exclusively to you. How would you react then? That’s why the Torah addresses the entire Jewish nation in the singular form. It’s speaking to each one of us as the unique individuals that we are. “See,” the Torah instructs you and me personally to keep our eyes wide open—especially now, when we’re called upon to closely examine the choices we’ve made and to assume full responsibility for their consequences.
As we enter the Hebrew month of Elul, we must stay focused on the spiritual preparation for the upcoming High Holidays. Are we ready to confront those inner stumbling blocks that prevent us from progressing, spiritually and personally? It’s time to realistically evaluate our thoughts, actions, and lifestyles.
To cultivate real change that lasts, you must be willing to clearly “see” yourself—not through the lens of the past, but as you appear right now. As the world changes, so do you. How would you like to see yourself in the year to come—same old, same old, or moving closer to who you’re striving to become? Living with the times also means to utilize your present opportunity to make a life-affirming change. Now is the optimal time for serious spiritual work. The month of Elul provides one the opportunity to maximize the coming days of introspection.
Ask yourself these questions: Why does the first line of the Torah portion begin with the word “see”? Are blessings and curses visible? Sometimes they may appear to be obvious, but what seems to be a curse can turn out to be a blessing in disguise235 and vice versa.
The word “see” alludes to a heightened kind of vision that is more than just physical. It includes one’s inner vision or insights. The Sages taught us that the wise person is “one who sees that which is born [from their choices and actions].” This means seeing and discerning all of the possible consequences of our actions. It’s likened to seeing the entire forest, not just each individual tree. A Jew strives to activate this level of insight during the month of Elul. It’s the opportune time to attain the depth of understanding necessary to perceive more. Studying the Torah provides the tools.
It’s interesting to note that the first letters of the Hebrew word for berachah, blessing, and klalah, curse—beit and kuf—have the same combined numerical value (102) as the Hebrew word for emunah. Faith helps us see the hidden, not-yet-revealed good in our lives. Perhaps this is why the Talmud instructs us to bless God for both the good and the bad; everything that God does ultimately will come to be seen as for the good.
Another lesson from the opening verse can be understood if it’s read slightly differently. The word anochi, I, is the root of the Hebrew word for anochiyus, ego. The verse could be read homiletically as saying, “See, the ego [I] placed within you today can be used as a blessing or a curse.” This interpretation by the Baal Shem Tov implies that the ego stands between a person and God. When left unchecked, the ego can come between one’s relationships with God and others. In this sense the ego can be a curse. When contained and channeled appropriately, the ego can be a tool assisting one in actualizing goals. When utilized for good, the ego becomes a blessing.
Every word of the Torah is intentional and significant. “See, I put before you this day a blessing and a curse.” Moshe said these words thousands of years ago, yet you’re reading them now. They are speaking to each of us today. Be ever-mindful that today’s choices can ultimately bring about a blessing or a curse. How you choose to “see” yourself and your circumstances can reveal a blessing or conceal it. What you “see” today is up to you. Choose to enrich your day and yourself with the Torah’s teachings. You’ll be “living with the times”—the very best of times.
