In the portion of the week, the Torah discusses the idea of commandments which don’t make sense, yet we are still obligated to keep them.
The Torah isn’t superfluous or controlling—it’s not looking for ways to play mind games—so why must we do things which don’t make sense?!
With modern science, we have become acutely aware of our brain’s capacity to absorb information we aren’t aware of, and how our subconscious and other parts of our brain are then driven by this information.
Sometimes, the actions we take to better ourselves don’t make sense and may even seem counterintuitive. Let’s take, for example, exercise: why would I exert energy? Shouldn’t I preserve my energy for when I need it? Why not eat whatever we want so we can store food?! The obvious answer is that it builds strength and overeating causes many issues later. However intuitive they may seem on their surface, these actions don’t make sense.
As a child, our parents direct us, guide us, and teach us, yet many of the teachings don’t make sense. When we are ill, many of the actions we are directed to take don’t make sense on the surface, yet once taken, they heal us. When we are seeking to overcome emotional challenges, we must take direction from others, which doesn’t always make sense to us in the moment.
The Torah is teaching us that just because it doesn’t make sense to you—or even if it does make sense to you—it doesn’t mean it’s right.
Sometimes, we need to train ourselves to defer comfort for long-term stability, and we must save even though what would make sense is to spend.
This week, let’s find people we trust, ask for guidance, and take direction to better ourselves.
