SHAVUOT 1 5782

What is Your Mission in Life?

Gd does not expect us to be perfect. In fact, that’s why the Torah wasn’t given to the angels. Let me read you a very strange story from the Talmud paraphrased by Rabbi David Aaron. This story conveys a profound truth about who we are, what Torah is, and why we were given the Torah:

         When Moses ascended to Heaven to get the Torah, the ministering angels said to the Holy One, Praised be He, “Sovereign of the universe, what is one born of a woman doing among us?” In other words, what is this imperfect human being doing among perfect beings? How could mortal man ascend to the level of angels?

         “He has come to receive the Torah,” responded Gd. “He’s not staying. He just came to pick something up—the Torah.”

         The angels were even more upset. “What?! Are You about to bestow upon frail man such a cherished treasure? How can You give human beings your holy Torah? Keep it in heaven. Give it to us!”

Accepting the Torah means you’re accepting a Divine mission. A colleague once quipped: “The Torah is the Manufacturer’s authorized manual for living.” But it’s really more than that. It’s an assignment from Gd. The Torah is a mission from Gd to be performed on Gd’s behalf. That’s why the Torah was in the angelic realm. An angel is an agent for Gd appointed to perform a divine mission.

Humans also have the opportunity to perform a mission on behalf of Gd. Accepting the Torah means you are accepting a Divine mission. You become a Divine agent. According to Jewish law, if you appoint someone to be your agent, he is equipotent to yourself—you have given him your power of attorney, to act on your behalf. This is the amazing power, responsibility, and privilege entrusted to us through Torah.

The angels didn’t know what was in the Torah. All they knew was that Gd must really cherish this mission if He had been holding on to it and had not yet appointed anyone to perform it. When Moses showed up to receive the Torah, they were in absolute shock! All this time, they had heard about this incredible, lofty, exalted mission, and who does Gd finally chose to entrust it to? A human! This is absurd. Humans are such lowly creatures, filled with base inclinations and evil deeds. Humans are going to act on Gd’s behalf?!

So Gd says to Moses, “You have to respond to these angels’ complaints.” In other words, you have to understand why you deserve this mission. What are your qualifications?

Most people think that the theme of Torah is about believing in Gd. That’s only half the story. Torah is also about believing in yourself. To accept Torah, you must have a tremendous amount of self-esteem. You must believe that you are worthy to be Gd’s agent on Earth—you were sent here to fulfill a sacred mission.

The message of Shavuot is: You are important and significant to Gd. You have been given the opportunity to represent Him. You have been entrusted with His power of attorney to act on his behalf.

Let’s continue with the story:

         Gd says to Moses, “I cannot answer for you. Unless you realize for yourself what your qualifications are, you can’t be entrusted with the mission.”

         Moses holds on to the Holy Throne and is charged with amazing confidence to face the angels. In their presence, he asks Gd, “What’s in Your Torah?”

         “I am Hashem your Gd, Who brought you out of Egypt.”

         Moses then challenges the angels, “Did you go to Egypt and serve Pharaoh? What relevance is the Torah to you?” In other words, Moses argues, “Did you have to serve Pharaoh? Were you oppressed slaves for 210 years?”

         The angels concede. They had lived only a perfect blissful life in heaven.

         Moses continues to make his case, “Gd, what else is written in Your Torah?”

         “Thou shalt not have other gods.”

         Moses confronts the angels, “Are you living among nations who worship idols?”

To really understand Moses’ question, you need to appreciate what idolatry was really all about. Idolatry was a lot of fun. Most idolatrous practices revolved around sexual promiscuity and pounding music and wild dancing—like a disco or Spring Break. Moses’ point to the angels was, “Do you live in a society that challenges you daily with constant allurements and seductions?”

         The angels say, “Nahh, we’re angels!”

Moses continues: “Gd, what else is in the Torah?”

         “Keep the Shabbat. Honor your father and mother. Don’t murder. Don’t commit adultery. Don’t steal.”"

         “Angels,” Moses challenges, “do you work hard? Do you need rest? Do you have fathers and mothers that you have to honor? Does jealousy exist among you? Do you have an evil inclination?” These are the qualifications Moses presented to merit the mission of Torah for humankind.

         We live in a materialistic world filled with daily seductions. That’s why WE should get the Torah! We qualify for this mission because we make so many mistakes. We are inundated with problems and challenges from within and without. We are perfect for this job, because we are so imperfect! So, the next time you call us “born of a woman,” say it with respect.

The angels are indeed impressed. They even want to befriend humankind and give Moses useful secrets to help humans in their difficult mission. What is the mission of Torah that Gd gives us on Shavuot? It is to overcome negative and destructive urges and choose goodness. Goodness that has been chosen is the highest form of goodness.

We are highly qualifiefor this mission because we are inclined to the allurements and seductions. We are able to fail, but also to succeed. We are able to destroy, but also to build. We are able to choose to do great evil, but also to choose to do amazing good. Angels are perfect; they have no evil inclination. They have no free choice. They can’t struggle. They can’t fail. They cannot choose goodness.

Paraphrasing the old tv show, “Mission Impossible,” our mission, if we’re willing to accept it, is to choose goodness. This is how we serve Gd. Angels sing Gd’s praises in a perfect heavenly world. However, human praises surpass those of the angels because we praise Gd from Earth, soiled with imperfections, problems, and challenges. This is our greatness.

Gd does not expect us to be perfect. In fact, if we were perfect, we could not have qualified for the mission of Torah. The Talmud teaches that a person can stand in Torah only after he has failed at it. In other words, part of the mission of Torah is to fail, regret, resolve, change, choose goodness, and succeed. We humans are the perfect candidates for the job.

My friends, every human being has the potential to be an agent and vehicle for Gd—as I’m fond of saying, “to be Gd’s hands in this world.” Everything we do can be for Gd’s sake: what we say, what we eat, how we conduct our relationships, how we treat others. This is the greatest honor and pleasure a person could experience. To live for myself is no great honor, but to live for Gd, to follow His Torah, to choose goodness for Gd’s sake—this is Heaven on Earth. This is our mission. May we be up to the task. Amen!