Flowers Aren’t Forever

Oneg Shabbos means different things to different people. For some oneg Shabbos is a delicious hot potato kugel straight out of the oven. For others it is a freshly baked challah. For still others it is a delectable dessert.

While I enjoy all of the above my main oneg Shabbos is the beautiful flower arrangement on my table. I enjoy the rich colors the varied textures the tantalizing aroma. I’ll choose beautiful flowers over delicious food any time.

During the days following Shabbos however I sorrowfully watch as my flowers begin to droop and lose their beauty. Some last a few days some up to a week. But eventually the beautiful flowers in the vase all wither. They need to be replaced the following Erev Shabbos with new flowers which sooner or later also wither.

As we know everything in the physical world has a parallel in the ruchniyus world.

Each week when I discard my wilted flowers I am reminded of a thought that I heard from my cousin Rabbi Motty Berger noted Aish HaTorah teacher and lecturer.

An ignoramus looking at the flowers on my table might think that flowers do not need to be connected to the soil in order to survive. After all the flowers look beautiful in the vase. However as we all know the flowers will inevitably die. It is impossible for them to maintain their beauty and remain alive once they have been disconnected from their roots.

Similarly many new ideas and philosophies arise in the Jewish world which may seem logical and compelling. We may mistakenly think that they are worthy of following even though they are not aligned with Torah values. But we need to understand that if they are disconnected from our roots from the mesorah then no matter how attractive or alluring they appear to be — like the flowers on our table — they cannot endure. Only if the ideas are connected to the Torah and to our mesorah can they survive and thrive.

How can we evaluate whether a new idea is indeed connected to our roots or whether it is a foreign idea that has infiltrated?

Only by following daas Torah.

A System of Roots

The mesorah is the intricate system of roots that connects us to the Torah that was handed down to us by Moshe Rabbeinu providing us with spiritual nourishment and keeping us firmly grounded. The mesorah was transmitted from generation to generation by the gedolim the leaders of each generation. When we look to our gedolim for guidance and follow daas Torah we are connecting to our roots. When we espouse new ideas that our gedolim reject we are separating ourselves from the mesorah and cutting ourselves off from our life source.

The early pioneers of the Reform Movement began by making one small change which seemed innocuous. They omitted one Yekum Purkan from the siddur. What could possibly be so bad about that?

The Chasam Sofer responded strongly to this innovation by saying “Chadash asur min haTorah.” Referring to the halachah that the new wheat is forbidden until the Korban Omer is brought the Chasam Sofer used this as a play on words to proclaim that changing something from the mesorah no matter how small is forbidden. The Chasam Sofer had the insight to discern that this seemingly minor change was in actuality a major breach. He had the foresight to recognize the far-reaching consequences of this one “small” innovation.

A few years ago when the idea of women “rabbinical interns” and “yoatzot” was first instituted an acquaintance asked me to read a few articles in defense of this idea. She was convinced that after reading the articles I would be won over by the writer’s arguments. I explained that no matter how logical or persuasive the arguments might be I would still not be swayed since my judgments are based on daas Torah rather than on my own logic. Unless there was daas Torah backing the new role for women — which there most definitely was not — I would not be convinced.

The false claim is sometimes made that people who promote controversial new roles for women today are similar to Sara Schenirer who also promoted a very controversial idea in her time. Sara Schenirer’s new ideas for women are now accepted; they claim that their ideas will also eventually be accepted.

The comparison to Sara Schenirer is flawed. While Sara Schenirer’s vision of education for girls was indeed controversial Sara Schenirer took steps to actualize her vision only after receiving approval from great Torah leaders of her time. Before undertaking any action she consulted with the Belzer Rebbe and was encouraged to proceed. While it is true that many gedolim opposed her idea Sara Schenirer had the backing and the blessing of the Chofetz Chaim the Gerrer Rebbe the Belzer Rebbe and others.  Her revolutionary new idea was firmly rooted in the mesorah and as a result it succeeded and thrived.

Adpating the Times to the Torah

The Gemara tells us that one of the questions a person will be asked when he leaves this world is “Kavata itim laTorah?” While the literal translation of the words is “Did you set [aside] times for [learning] Torah?” the question has been explained homiletically (in Ethics from Sinai by Irving Bunim) in the following way:

Did you set the times according to the Torah? Was the Torah the constant? Was the Torah the unchanging value in your life and as a result you tried to adapt the times to the Torah?

Or was it perhaps the opposite? Might it have been that the values of the times were the primary focus in your life and as a result you tried to adapt the Torah to the times?

In each period of history there are new situations new lifestyles new norms. Our challenge is to figure out how to live a Torah-true life in the time period we live in. Our mission is to adapt the times to the Torah rather than adapt the Torah to the times.

This isn’t always easy. The values which surround us and seep into our conscious and subconscious mind can distort our thinking. Our personal biases can also prevent us from perceiving the truth.

The barometer by which we must gauge the authenticity of any new idea is whether or not it is backed by gedolei Torah. No matter how logical how inviting how compelling an idea appears to be if it is not supported by our gedolim it has no place in our lives.

When we recite Az Yashir each day we say “Zeh Keili ve’anveihu Elokei avi va’aromemenhu — This is my G-d and I will glorify Him the G-d of my father and I will praise Him.” Three times a day we begin Shemoneh Esrei by saying “Elokeinu ve’Elokei avoseinu — our G-d and the G-d of our fathers.” Again and again we link ourselves to our ancestors to our mesorah to our roots. We define our relationship with Hashem not only by our personal connection to Him but by the connection that was forged by our ancestors and that was transmitted to us through the mesorah.

As we struggle to find the most effective ways to raise our children and build a strong Torah family in today’s challenging times we are bombarded with theories. How can we know which ones are connected to our roots and which are not? How can we know which ideas about women are truly rooted in Torah values and which ones only appear that way?

We must look to our gedolim for guidance. We cannot embrace an idea merely because it makes sense to us. We must examine every idea through the lens of daas Torah. Only then can we be confident that the choices we make will not be like the flowers in the vase which will inevitably fade away. Rather they will be like the flowering plant connected to its roots producing beautiful flowers for many years to come.