Do Not Steal
Tonight is Shavuot. The commemoration and celebration of our greatest national experience – hearing the Ten Commandments directly from G-d at the foot of Sinai. The greatest thing we can do is bring G-dliness into the world and that’s why G-d gave us the Torah. The Aseres HaDibrot, the Ten Commandments contain the Divine light each Mitzvah brings into the world. The Ohr HaChaim ( Rabbi Chaim Benatar) would say that if we’d truly appreciate the Torah, we’d go crazy for it.
How does it relate to theft? Theft is taking something from another person, denying or reducing their possession. The letter of the law speaks to actual possessions, the spirit of the law, it’s light, speaks to potential possessions as well. In this sense, it applies to ourselves as much as it applies to others. The great Rabbi Menachem Mendel Morgenstern of Kotzk said “Do not steal – Don’t steal money, don’t steal someones good impressions, don’t steal your own good impressions. Often we promise ourselves to do a great thing and we don’t do it.” When we have opportunities to do great things and we don’t do them, we are stealing from ourselves and the potential beneficiaries.
We have the Torah. It contains the greatest things we can do. Learning it in itself is a great thing. Never before has it been so available and easy to understand. We’d be stealing from ourselves if we don’t take advantage of it!
Set your intention for the day by reciting The Aseret Affirmation: Ten for Ten first thing in the morning.
Chag Sameach,
Nitzan Bergman