Miller's Musings Parshas Vayelech: A Worthwhile Investment

Miller’s Musings Parshas Vayelech

 

Imagine the scene. The entire Jewish nation gathered together, men, women and children on one of the holy days of Succos in the holiest place on Earth. The monarch of this sacred people orating to them from the words of the Almighty. What an incredible experience that must have been! The inspiration must have echoed within those present for months, if not years, after. The peculiarity here is why it was left until the Succos after the Shemitta year for this Mitzvah of Hakhel to be performed. Surely the stimulation for heightened spirituality would have been put to better use, before the Shemitta year, to help guide the people through those challenging times?

To answer this we must understand that being in a situation that provokes inspiration is not necessarily enough. There is a requirement for preparation for that moment if we are to gain fully, if at all, from the impetus it provides. Reb Shamai Zahn zt’l explains that this was the case with the event of Hakhel. It was not enough to just turn up and be inspired. It required the year of Shemitta and the closeness to G-d it engendered within the people, to fully glean the most possible from this rare opportunity.

It is unfortunate to note that there are many who claim not to gain anything from davening, do not enjoy Shabbos, feel no benefit from one mitzvah or another. And this may indeed be the case. But what have they invested in order to appreciate this Mitzvah? How much time have they spent trying to understand what they are saying whilst praying or what the meaning of prayer is? What have they done to make their Shabbos one of beauty? How much care have they taken so that any given Mitzvah is understood and is done with feeling so that it resonates within their souls? If we truly want to experience the maximum that any Mitzvah has to offer we have to devote time and effort to it.

Yom Kippur is almost upon us but there is still time to ensure that it awakens something within us and leaves a lasting impression. Take some time to think about what the day means, how we will spend those hours focused solely on our spirituality and what we hope to achieve from the holiest of days. It’s not too late.

May the holiness of Shabbos prepare us for the coming days ahead.

L’ilui Nishmas Leah bas Avrohom