Judaism Says: You Are Capable Of More Than You Know
Each and every week this summer I’ve been experiencing such richness as part of our Shabbat (Saturday) morning Torah discussions. Our services start at 9:45 am, and then by 10:30, after about 45 minutes of opening prayers, reflections, and songs, we reach our Torah service, and before taking out the Torah and chant from it, we spend 20-30 minutes actively discussing a particular part of the section we’re about to chant.
This week, the Torah portion included a famous verse from the Aleinu prayer that is recited at every Jewish prayer service towards the end of the service: “v’yadata ha-yom va-hasheivota el l;vavekha, ki Adonai hu ha-Elohim ba-shamayim mi-ma’al, v’al ha-aretz mi-tahat, ein od.” “Know therefore this day and keep in mind that Adonai alone is God in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other” (Deuteronomy 4:39).
In its original context, before serving as inspiration for the Aleinu prayer, this verse is part of Moses’ departing speech to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the promised land without him. At first glance, it is one of countless others like it in the Torah—a fairly standard statement about monotheism.
But as part of Jewish tradition, we unpack the text for layers of meaning that may penetrate more deeply into our souls.
Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Pollonye (1710–1784), one of the first disciples of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism, a movement of Jewish spiritual revival, did so, when he interpreted the verse as follows: “With regard to matters like wealth and honor, which are “earthly,” one should be humble, “beneath” other people. But when it comes to spiritual matters, that which is “heavenly,” one should be proud and ‘above…’”
He goes on to say that some of our more base instincts often suggest the reverse, in which we say to ourselves, “concerning wealth and honor, ‘Who is more worthy of it than you?’ and concerning Divine service, that it is the business only of very pious and holy people;” that we aren’t good enough for it.
He wants to teach us that especially in regards to this latter notion — believing in ourselves as capable of living vibrant spiritual lives, capable of profound acts of Divine service — we should not sell ourselves short! No matter our upbringing, no matter our level of education, no matter where it is we find ourselves in life, we should feel proud of our capacity to make profound contributions in service of the Divine—that this is a key element of Jewish living.
Modern scholar Rabbi Norman Lamm (1927 – 2020) observes that one thing Rabbi Yaakov Yosef is doing is noticing that we all have pride, we all have ego, and naming that there is a beautiful space this pride can be directed rather than wished away.
It can be challenging to figure out how to do so, but the ongoing contributions to the timeless Jewish conversation want to let us know we are all capable.
