Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Why Ever Be Negative? Shouldn't We Always Only Be Positive? A Torah View of Negativity.

A popular outlook among some people these days goes like this: Don't be negative, only be positive. This exists in the religious community as well. Sounds great, no? Words like utopian, delusional, and naive come to mind when thinking of such a mindset, however, sooner or later.

What does the Torah teach us about this?

Our tradition teaches us that there are 365 מצות לא תעשה, negative commandments, and 248 מצות עשה, positive commandments. That works out to close to 50% more "negative commandments" than "positive commandments"!

We are taught that the מצות עשה correspond to the רמ"ח אברים, the 248 limbs/organs of a person, and the מצות לא תעשה to the שס"ה גידין, the 365 sinews. The organs/limbs of the body, of course, are very important. Where would be without them? But imagine a person without sinews, tendons that keep things connected and bound together? A body needs structure and connection.

We are told in sefer Tehillim, סור מרע ועשה טוב, turn away from evil, and do good.

A program of just being positive and not being negative, just teaching right and ignoring wrong, is neither practical nor desirable. It is recipe for disaster too.

Just like חסד needs גבורה to get to תפארת, and אברהם אבינו (chesed) was followed by יצחק אבינו (gevurah - din), to get to יעקב אבינו, בחיר שבאבות (tiferes), so too do we need both positivity and negativity, to promote the good and negate the bad, to advance.

Of course, the negative commandments are defined and circumscribed by the Torah. Being only negative is wrong, just like being only positive is. But in the imperfect and challenging world we live in, a world referred to as עלמא דשיקרא, the world of falsehood, we cannot afford the luxury, folly, and naivete of being "only positive".

So let us do both, according to the Torah's guidelines of course. It is the way to success.

May הקב"ה help us along the way.

Sunday, December 19, 2021

TYHN: I Am Limitless, Thank You Hashem - Torah 101: Only Hashem is Limitless, ישתבח שמו.

To follow up on the previous post re the TYH nation movement (which just marked it's third birthday, incidentally), I have seen another thing from them that seems seriously problematic. Here is a version of it at their website.

It proclaims in large, bold letters, "I AM LIMITLESS". Underneath, more quietly, it says Thank You Hashem.

I saw a sticker of it a while ago as well.

Is it just me, or do other people also see a glaring problem with saying "I am limitless"? I realize that they presumably mean it in another way, not absolutely and literally, but still, the language is problematic, לענ"ד.

Who is minding the store at TYH Nation? Which (if any) Rav is giving overseeing and giving a hechsher (kosher seal of approval) on their products?

I do give them credit for many other fine, inspiring things that they have shared, and their good intentions, but nevertheless, if something is out of line, it needs to be called out. 

May Hashem help us stick to the straight path, וטהר לבנו לעבדך באמת.