14 Jun PARASHAT BEHAALOTECHA: MAINTAINING ENTHUSIASM FOR MISVOT

P a r a s h a t

Beh a a l o t e c h a

begins with the

Misva of the

Menorah, which

was kindled by the

Kohen each

afternoon in the Bet Hamikdash. The Torah

outlines the basic requirements of this Misva,

and then concludes, “Va’ya’as Ken Aharon” –

“Aharon did so.” Meaning, Aharon, the Kohen

Gadol, complied with this command and

kindled the Menorah as he was commanded.

Rashi, commenting on this verse, writes that

the Torah here gives praise to Aharon “She’lo

Shina” – because he did not deviate from

Hashem’s command. This is the meaning of

“Va’ya’as Ken Aharon” – that Aharon is

praiseworthy for doing as he was told and not

deviating from Hashem’s instructions. The

question naturally arises as to why Aharon

was deserving of special praise for complying

with this command. If we were given an

explicit command from Hashem, wouldn’t we

eagerly abide? Moreover, Aharon was not just

given a command, but also blessed with a

special privilege, of being the first one to ever

kindle the Menorah in the Mishkan. Is it not

obvious that he would do as he was told? Why

does he deserve special praise for fulfilling the

command of the Menorah? To answer this

question, we might observe the way a Bar

Mitzva boy approaches the Misva of Tefillin

after his Bar Mitzva. When he puts them on

for the first time, he is overjoyed and takes

special pride in his new pair of Tefillin. He

lovingly places the box on his arm, recites the

Beracha and wraps the strap. Gradually,

however, the excitement wanes, and just a

year or so later, he puts on his Tefillin

thoughtlessly, hardly even thinking about the

fact that he is fulfilling a Biblical command.

This is what naturally happens when we grow

accustomed to something. The initial

excitement and enthusiasm gradually

diminishes, and we perform the action

perfunctorily, without much feeling or

emotion. The Sages cited by Rashi praise

Aharon “She’lo Shina,” which literally means,

“because he did not change.” The enthusiasm

with which he kindled the Menorah the first

time remained throughout the years. Each and

every time he performed the Misva, he did it

with the same excitement and awe with which

he had kindled the lamps the first time. How

we do follow Aharon’s example? How can we

retain some level of excitement and

enthusiasm for the actions we perform each

and every day, such as prayer, Berachot, Sisit

and Tefillin? The answer is that we must

recognize what a privilege each and every

Misva is. Imagine if we were asked to do a

certain favor for the President of the United

States every week. Wouldn’t we relish the

opportunity? Wouldn’t we approach it with

vigor and excitement, and carefully attend to

every detail? And wouldn’t we do the favor

even if we felt tired or a bit under the weather?

After all, when presented with such a

privilege, who would let a little lethargy or the

flu get in the way? Hashem is far more

powerful and important than the President,

than any head of state or person on earth. Each

day, He graciously gives us the privilege of

serving Him, speaking with Him, and doing

what He wants. The more we recognize what a

precious opportunity each Misva is, the greater

excitement and enthusiasm we will invest in

our Misvot, and the more meaningful and

fulfilling they will be.