Dear Friends,
A few years before we met, Raina was invited to the weddings of two different friends on the same weekend. Unfortunately, one wedding was on Saturday night on the West Coast, while the second was on Sunday on the East Coast. Raina flew out to California, attended the first wedding, took a red eye back and was able to attend the second.
When I asked Raina why she hadn’t just given her regrets to one wedding or the other she replied, “I’ve always believed you never miss a simcha. Thoughts and loving words are great but nothing compares to actually showing up.”
This week’s portion, Parashat Ekev, offers a similar insight. The portion continues Moses’ farewell speeches as the Children of Israel prepare to enter the Land of Israel. In it Moses recalls God’s command that “you shall faithfully observe every commandment (kol ha-mitzvah) which I command you today, that you may live and increase and be able to possess the land that the Holy One promised on oath to your ancestors.”
Interestingly, Moses states “kol ha-mitzvah” which literally means “the entire commandment.” Why, the rabbis of old asked, did it state “the entire commandment” when it would seem more logical for him to have stated, “kol ha-mitzvot” (all the commandments)?
In Midrash Tanhuma, Rabbi Yohanan suggests that the intent of Moses’ word choice was to make clear to the people that thinking about fulfilling a commandment or only doing one part way achieves nothing. He states, “whoever begins a mitzvah and afterward someone else comes and completes it, the mitzvah is credited to the one who completes it.” (Midrash Tanhuma)
Similarly, the great teacher Rashi teaches, “If you begin a mitzvah, finish it, for it is only credited to the one who completes it.”
In other words, however sincere one’s intent may be, it is only when we actually act on that intention that it matters in any material sense.
More recently, one of my teachers expounded on this stating,
“While good intentions are nice to have and may add meaning to a good deed, intentions are often overrated… [they are often] just a sop to appease a guilty conscience for its own failure to do the right thing. Sometimes the only thing that matters is what we do.”
Put another way, in Judaism it is the action, not the thought, that counts. Words express our values and commitments. But words alone do nothing. Only when we transform our words and thoughts into actions is there any chance they will have impact. Thoughts and actions alone, no matter how well-intended, no matter how heartfelt, are irrelevant. They are like smoke that points toward a fire but has no substance of its own.
As the political season ramps into high gear we have heard and will continue to hear lots of words and promises from those seeking our votes. Those words and the commitments they reflect matter. They tell us what the candidates believe. They tell us the direction these potential leaders want to take our country. But the actions these individuals have taken previously tell us even more. How have they transformed their words into action previously? Or have their words been little more than an attempt to make us feel good about them and about ourselves?
Before we cast our votes this November it is incumbent upon us to ask ourselves not only which candidates align with our values but which candidates have proven their commitment to turning promises into action. Then it is incumbent upon us to actually get out there and vote.
But the same holds true for each of us. Is there someone we have been meaning to call but haven’t? Is there someone we unintentionally hurt, and despite regretting it, we haven’t had the hard conversation of asking for forgiveness? Is there an organization we’ve said we support but haven’t done anything to actually help? If so, as Moses reminded the people in this week’s portion, each individual act we do matters but only if we actually do it, because, in the end, the thought is nice but it isn’t what actually counts.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Daniel Cohen