I am making mistakes as fast as I can

by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine

The Parsha of Bichukosai is one of the places that the Torah declares that there is reward for good deeds and punishment for wrongdoing. The Parsha begins, “If you go in My laws, and observe My commandments.”  The commentaries wonder that the directive to “go in My laws” seems to be the same thing as to “observe My commandments.” Why would the Torah repeat the same thing? The commentaries answer that the first phrase (“go in My laws”) refers to focused Torah study, meaning, “learning with an intent to implement and observe.” It is this first behavior and its implied attitude that brings about the second behavior, to “observe.”

Rabbeinu Yona, in his famous commentary to Avos, writes that the definition of one who “learns in order to observe,” is one who is willing to invest days, months, or even years, to achieve Torah truth. Sometimes things need to be clarified again and again. While any Torah journey is valuable, learning focused on observance is a particular praiseworthy value. As the Ramban writes in his classic letter to his son: When you conclude your learning, contemplate if there is an area to which you can apply that which that you have just learned.

Sometimes, when discussing religion, people look for ways to support their own preconceived notions. A more appropriate attitude towards religion would be to savor the religious teaching and find ways to implement it. It is said, for example, that Abraham Lincoln was once told after a Union victory, “G-d must be on our side.” Lincoln responded, “More important than having G-d on my side, is making sure that I am on G-d’s side.” Healthy respect for that which we study enables us to identify areas that need improvement and acknowledge mistakes.

Recently a certain country has been testing its missile capabilities, causing great concern in the international community. Following a missile test that exploded in failure, some people commented, “I guess we have nothing to fear.” The international experts, however, saw things differently. They said, “Actually, there is more that this country can learn from a failed launch than from a successful one. If the launch succeeds then any risks of malfunction which undoubtedly exist in any system, would be undetected. But with each failure, they get the opportunity to perfect their design.”

As a child I once visited a doctor’s office and saw a sign above the secretary which left me confused.  The sign said, “I’m making misteaks as fast as I can.” I was too young to appreciate the humor of the misspelled word. I just wondered, “Why was the secretary making mistakes? And if she was making mistakes, why was she so proud of it?”

Since then, I have studies the words of the Ramban’s letter cited above. “When you study, see if there is anything in what you have studied that you need to implement.”  See if there is anything that you have been doing until now that you need to acknowledge as a mistake and that needs to be changed. If you do, then embrace the opportunity for correction, and improve things,one step at a time. Pace yourself. One who makes mistakes as fast as they can is a learner who implements. It is of such a person that the verse speaks lovingly about “going and observing.”

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