If you are looking for some new music for the High Holy Days you may enjoy this video “Sisu V'Simchu B'Simchat Torah”. Simchat Torah is a time to rejoice in the law of God. This may sound very strange to some though. Many people do not like being told what to do, especially if it sounds unnecessary. But when we understand some laws have been born out of a good purpose, rather than just an egocentric power trip, it becomes much easier to appreciate the value of them. You can think of the law like red traffic lights. If we have somewhere to be getting a red light at an intersection may just seem annoying and very inconvenient, but image how much harder it would be to get anywhere at all if no one got a red light.
I remember a time when I went out to town to be with a relative and for some reason at an intersection the traffic lights didn’t seem to be working. This didn’t make driving better or faster. Many people seemed frozen and confused about how or when to cross as there wasn’t a convenient way to determine when it would be safe to do so. While traffic lights are something we may not normally look forward to having, in some situations it becomes clear how much easier life can be with them when we are at a complex and busy crossing point. Having structure can bring clarity and make life far more convincement than it would be without those limits.
David could say this, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” Psalm 119:11-16 When we reflect on God’s goodness it allows us to think about how valuable the opportunity to learn is.
Hopefully we will come to the place when we can rejoice at the opportunity to do good for real and not just go through formality of outwardly acting as if we respect for God’s law instead of actually caring. “The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.’” Isaiah 29:13 It is easy to just pretend to care about the law out of a sense of obligation and not actually do so. While you listen to this song I hope you give your feelings regarding the laws some reflection and see if there is a positive way to make an attitude shift in how you relate to God and others.
