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.
You are conflating two different meanings of the word negative.
ReplyDeleteCare to elaborate? You disagree with the post overall, or just quibbling re one point?
DeleteAbout ten years ago I heard a Chabad Rabbi tell the following story. There was a Yemenite in Israel who wanted to become observant so he went to one of those "heh,heh,heh, so-called Kiruv Yeshivot. The first day he was there the Rabbi said that for every good thing you do you get a reward, but for every sin you get punished. And you know how they punish you? They burn you. The next day he came back and the Rabbi continued telling them about the burning coals they throw on you. After a week the boy told the Rabbi," Why don't you go to hell?" Then he came to Chabad and he found love and now he's happy. As I mentioned in earlier posts, Boteach got it right,"Chabad is popular because it presents as Orthodoxy but it allows people to remain nonobservant." They remind me of the joke about a fellow wearing a Yarmulke who was sitting in a treif restaurant and eating. A Rabbi walked by and saw him. When the Rabbi questioned him, the boy answered, "It's okay. I ate everything under Rabbinic supervision."
ReplyDeleteRe "burning coals" - it should be noted that there are non-Chasidic sources that explain such things non-literally, such as meaning that a person will be so ashamed that it will be like burning, but not literal burning.
DeleteI understand Anonymous's point bit I strongly disagree with it. Shomor VZachor bidibur Echad is not just a line that we sing on Shabbos it's the paradigm for Yiddiskeit.Hashem is telling is that Shamorand Zachor are inextricably linked and He won't accept Zachor(lighting candles coming to Shul) if it's not accompanied by Shomor(not driving to Shul). But this message is lost on "feel good Judaism.) Everything is positive including the Mitzvahs. It's important not to have a negative attitude when of comes to life, but it's quite another thing to pretend that there are no consequences for disobeying Hashem's word.
ReplyDeleteWhen that Rabbi mentioned "burning coals" it was just to take a shot at conventional Judaism. There were about 80 people there well educated but not observant so it was a good opportunity to advance his Krum agenda. Some who read this blog think we're attacking Chabad and others of like mind for no reason. I agree that Chabad does a lot of good not that's offset by the bad it does.
ReplyDeleteWhen I hear Yidden talking about "not being negative," I understand them as encouraging one to have a positive attitude about life, עבדו את ה' בשמחה and גם זו לטובה, not denying that there are negative commandments, and that violating them is terrible.
ReplyDeleteMr. First Anonymous, if you sincerely believe that "not being negative" simply means having a positive outlook on life, I would certainly agree with you. However from personal experience I've seen that those who wear rose colored glasses generally present a distorted picture of the Torah. Some years ago I was davening for the Amud and after reciting the opening series of Brachos I read the Yehi Rotzon which concludes Medina She'll Gehinom. The Chabad Rabbi mockingly responded,"Medina Shel Gehinom, Medina Shel Gehinom. " Mister FA I don't know whether or not you're new to this blog, but when we make statements, even if they seem controversial, we can back it up. I would humbly suggest that you're a bit naive if you think that those who profess positivity aren't dismissing the fact that there's another side to Judaism. There's a reason that the Lubavicher Rebbe didn't allow his Chasidim to even mention the Holocaust.
ReplyDeleteI apologize for my pretentious attempt to join your select circle.
DeleteWhat about Ivdu Es Hashem Bisimcha? Okay. What about Ivdu Es Hashem biyirah? Look any Posuk or Chazal can be countered with an equally powerful source, so you have to be able to argue logically and based on empirical evidence. Unfortunately those who espouse "feel good Judaism" use verses as their proofs bit they're little more than cliches when not properly applied.
ReplyDeleteMr. First A. By no means are we discouraging your input. We learn from the Gemara that the search for truth demands dissent. What we are suggesting is that you present cogent arguments rather than simply regurgitating verses which are completely out of context
ReplyDeleteThis week's Jewish Vues features a quote from the l
ReplyDeleteLubavicher Rebbe,"Imagine you opened your eyes and you only saw the good in every person." Isn't that beautiful? Are we supposed to see the good in Hitler? Okay, you'll say he meant every Jew. Did he see the good in Rav Shach or the Gaon? When you cut through the malarkey, you find how meaningless and empty these platitudes are. But so many are taken in because they don't know how to think logically.