"For this commandment which I command you this day, is not concealed from you, nor is it far away It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?" Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?" Rather,[this] thing is very close to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it."
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 30:11-14
We have a strange practice of making doing the right thing hard to do. Religions are masterful at it. The same religious that teach love can sink into depressing rules that repel the young from finding the joy of experience ones inner divinity as children of God.
The truth is that doing the right thing is really quiet simple. Naturally our heart, our mouth and our actions want to do the right thing. These 3 parts of our make-up – our thoughts, our words and actions, like organs of the divine soul work in perfect harmony when vested in following the leadings of the divine.
Of course our thoughts and our heart relate strongly. We often try to separate them. Yet we are emotional beings, and our heart as so often portrayed in literature is a symbol our emotional life which is best felt when we are in awe of this life we have been given and the divinity that has made it possible.
When I chose to obey the divine, I am not cowering in fear, rather I am in awe of the cause and sustainer of life as I experience it. The infinite of divinity is beyond me and I experience it as far as my limited grasp interacts with the immeasurable light around me.
In Hebrew the word for commandment, mitzvot, means more than commandment. It also means connection. When I do something for a person I admire I feel connected to Him, in the same way by choosing a moral life because it is the divine thing to do, allows me a sense of connection. To the infinite God it gives nothing – the infinite cannot change –however, I can change. I can be more like Him by my experience with Him. A healthy respect, a sense of awe, will prevent me from acting, even wanting to act, unjustly and encourage me to act in love.
It is this divine interplay of awe and love that motivates me and so the idea of obeying the commandments - that is obeying the rules - becomes easy. I desire to obey them – they become ‘near to me.’
True this requires an interplay of the three parts of our experience. Just as what I say or do with words in written form is important so is it important that I take in the words of instruction. Just as I impelled to act in kindness because of the love in my heart, I must meditate and understand the spirit and intent, the purpose of these dictates, lest I fall into mindless, heartless and unkind rule dominated control. Also I must act, my hands must actually do something to make the world a home where god would chose to reside.
Naturally we are a materialistic bunch - and indeed our material life is a reflection of our spiritual values – however it is as if the world and god are at different ends of the spectrum. We can simply just obey the rules and do so for the benefit of society or we can spend time and contemplate and develop an actual relationship with divinity. Perhaps that can be compared to taking a longer, but ultimately, more satisfying route. As we ponder on Him, and on the wonders of the material universe, we see interplay of qualities in balance that brings to the surface the naturally innate compassion and love that is within every human soul.
When we come in touch with divine spark that is seeking to reunite with the divine we can route its power into the service of this world. just as aflame, a burning gas reaching upward and outward, must be routed to a wick, our desire to be with Him and like Him, must be bound in service of Man and God both.
In the three Abrahamic Faiths there is a fundamental truth commonly expounded- you cannot love the invisible God if you do not love your fellow, and very visible, man.
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