Rabbi's Blog

As the counting of the Omer winds up, there has been another counting of sorts, but this one counting down. An energized young Rabbi in our community put out a ‘Skinny by Shavuos contest’ that has motivated a group of men to lose as much unnecessary weight as possible. (I think there is a women’s version of this contest as well). At the beginning of the contest, everyone needed to weigh in and take a picture and send it in, and presumably will repeat the weighing-in and picture-taking on the last day of the contest. Many strategies and plans were in full force, complete with encouragement and impediments being a source of friendly banter between foes. One area that I struggle with is how often to check my weight progress – or lack thereof - on the scale. The daily method can offer happiness or disappointment.

Most of us tend to manipulate the scale - and our weight - by standing differently on the scale, weighing at alternate times, and, most effective for getting the greatest positive result, adjust the time for the weigh-in according to how much and what we ate that day. At times these gimmicks give us a sense of success, but we must realize that everything balances out at the end and may lead to frustration. All in all, it is very important to be healthy and maintain a proper body weight. Sometimes I feel that in order to live a better and longer life I have to kill myself now in order to reach that goal.

I recently discovered another instance of manipulation connected to exercise, losing weight and overall better health. I’m not sure if this could help me in a lawsuit, but the health aid ‘Fitbit’ that I wear on my wrist to measure my steps taken, calories lost, etc. has a major fallacy. A natural component of praying is the swaying motion that many of us do particularly during the silent Amida. I, as the Rabbi, try to maintain a certain speed and pace of the davening, thereby allotting a certain amount of time for the Amida. Therefore, I check the time at the start of the Amida and check the time I finish, either slowing down or speeding up accordingly. As a matter of habit, whenever I check the time on my Fitbit, I check how many steps I’ve taken so far that day. Lo and behold one morning not only did I check the time at the start and finish of the Amida, but I checked the number of steps taken as well. I was astonished to learn that I took over three hundred steps during the Amida with my feet together side by side, not having moved my feet or the rest of my body for the past five minutes! I realized that as I ‘shuckeled’ - swayed - back and forth, my hands swayed along with me, my ‘Fitbit’ faithfully tracking the motion of my arms… even though my legs never budged. I’m even tempted to say that even if you walk, the ‘Fitbit’ may not register any steps taken if you immobilize your arms from moving.

There are ways of tricking a scale or a measuring device, but ultimately we are only fooling ourselves. Knowing how to weigh and measure gives us the ability to carry the load of our weight and manage to balance who we are. This idea of carrying a load is alluded to in this week’s Parsha. At the very end of the Parsha, the Torah describes the work, service, and duties the Levites performed: Kehos in Bamidbar and Gershon and Merari in next week’s reading of Nasso. In Bamidbar 4:19/20 the Torah states: “V’Zos Asu Lahem V’Chayu V’Lo Yamusu B’Gishtam Es odesh Ha’Kodashim, Aharon UBanav Yavou V’Samu Osam Ish Ish Al Avadaso V’El Masao”. “V’lo Yavou Lir’os Kvala Es HaKodesh Vameisu”. “This is what you must do so that they survive and not die when they come into the Holy of Holies. Aharon and his sons shall first come and arrange each thing so that every Kehothite can perform his service, carrying his load. The Kehothites will then not come and see the sacred furniture being packed, and they will not die”.

The Chasam Sofer explains these verses through an exposition of a gemara in Tamid 32a. Alexander of Macedon inquired of the Elders of the South regarding ten matters. Question seven was: “What should a man do to live?” The Elders replied, ”He should kill himself.” A man should toil away at a job even if he finds it unpleasant in order to earn his sustenance. He should not think this job is beneath him and therefore risk not working at all. He should not indulge himself excessively in physical pleasures, and he should trouble himself to study Torah. Since if he learns Torah he will live in this world and the world to come. The eighth question was: “What should a man do to die?” The Elders replied, ”He should enliven himself.” A man should do the exact opposite of what was said before. Chasam Sofer explains if a person wants to live for the next world (Olam Haba), he needs to kill himself in this world in his service to God. With this strength, it gives a person life and purpose in this world and eternal life in the next. The opposite (Heaven forbid) works the same way but in the opposite direction. If man fills his life with worldly pleasures and delights for this world, then he is killing himself for the next world.

In reality a person doesn’t need to kill himself or work so hard in this world to receive a portion in the next world, since a person is obligated to perform and do every single mitzva in its proper time. On the contrary, if a person afflicts himself with undue hardship in doing a mitzva, he might be in violation of ‘Moe’il B’Hekdesh’ - abusing sanctity when not called upon. With this framework, we can now look at the verse from a different angle. When the passuk said, ‘This is what you must do……and you will live and do not die,’ meaning there is no need to kill oneself in all areas of this world, rather ‘when they come into the Holy of Holies…..and Aharon will place and assign each man his job and his load’. Each person can only be obligated to do that which his ability allows him to do. ‘So that it won’t be seen as being swallowed up in their service and drowning in their Avodas Hashem to the extreme that they can’t make it. The Torah isn’t looking for a person to be so overwhelmed and overtaken by his Torah responsibilities in serving God that it will kill him. The Torah prefers a balance to a person’s Avodas to Hashem by creating circumstances that aren’t too challenging while still manageable for serving Hashem.*** No one should kill himself to serve Hashem, rather ‘V’Chayu’ - live - and serve God for better times well into the future.

To be healthy, a person doesn’t need to kill himself on a crazy diet. Instead, one should practice good daily protocol to live a healthy physical, good life that allows us to serve Hashem properly, ultimately giving us the means to serve Hashem in the spiritual world through the physical.

Let us all approach the days of Kabbolas Hatorah in counting down the calories and the number on the scale so that we can count the spiritual pursuit to serve Hakadosh Baruch Hu in both body and soul.

*** A person must be intellectually and emotionally honest with himself to come to the equation of how much to push, when to lay low and step back, and when to push for more when ready to grow to the next level and do more.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

Rabbi Bogopulsky’s new book “Developing A Torah Personality” is available for purchase directly from him or Amazon