But in the seventh year, the land shall have a complete rest a Sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow your field, nor shall you prune your vineyard. (Vayikra 25:4)

The verse in Tehillim states : Bless Hashem, 0 His angels, the strong warriors, who do His bidding, to obey the voice of His word (Tehillim 103:20).

Rav Yitzchak Nafcha said: This refers to those who observe shmittah. It is customary for a person to perform a mitzvah for a day, a week or a month. Does one usually observe a mitzvah for an entire year? Yet this farmer sees his field lie fallow for a year, his vineyard lie fallow for a year and he remains silent. Is there greater strength of character than this? (Yalkut Tehillim 860).

The Gemara explains the secret of this special strength from the same verse:

R. Eleazar said: When the Israelites gave precedence to ˜we will do' over ˜we will hear,' a Heavenly Voice went forth and exclaimed to them, Who revealed to My children this secret, which is employed by the Ministering Angels, as it is written, Bless the Lord, ye angels of his, the strong warriors who do his bidding, to hear the voice of his word. (Tehillim 103:20) First it is written "who do" and then it is written "to hear" (Shabbath 88a)

Why would someone do something difficult and potentially harmful before they understand why they are required to do it?

There is only one answer to this question, trust. At the giving of the Torah the Jews trusted Hashem.

The Kuzari explains that one who accepts religious beliefs and mitzvoth innocently without analysis and evaluation is superior to one who evaluates and analyses.

The Marashaw explains that the angels do not have any second thoughts. They are completely spiritual and their trust in Hashem is absolute. Man, because of his limitations thinks twice before doing the will of G-d.

I used to think that the idea of "doing" before "understanding" was something beyond the intellect, yet doesn't it make perfect sense to trust in G-d?

Application:
Find areas that you are weak in and strengthen them by increasing your trust in Hashem.

Give 10 quick answers to the following sentence stem:
If I really trusted G-d I would...
Not trusting G-d makes me...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rabbi Mitterhoff,

quote:

Give 10 quick answers to the following sentence stem:
If I really trusted G-d I would...
Not trusting G-d makes me...

If I really trusted in G-d I would....

*stop hesitating when he tells me to speak out.
*believe when he says I will soon stop having financial difficulty
*stop listening to misinformed opinions
*write the book I have been told to write - NOW
*ignore crazy men who think my speaking out is a sign of abuse or rebellion
*do my part to help G-d turn the hearts of the children to the fathers and vice versa
*understand tikkun olam is more about service to others than financial or physical assistance
*stop giving compassion to those who will turn it against me when G-d warns me, because I'm tired of the drama that comes afterwards
*do what G-d instructs me to do immediately, no matter what the naysayers in my life verbalize in my ears

Not trusting God makes me......

*hesitant and nervous
*anxious and worried
*misinformed myself, by listening to others instead of G-d
*suffer, because I am not being obedient because I am believing other people's doubts about my business, which is none of their business anyway - they should be building their own one-on-one with G-d rather than critiquing mine
*aggravated and frustrated with people who's minds are trapped by the modern world and ancient chauvenism, both of which are incongruous to judaism
*have to deal with people who refuse to step outside of their own life's station and deal compassionately with the age group older or younger than them (this one really grates on my nerves)
*stressed that I can't contribute financially more to my shul/temple/synagogue
*makes me have to go through the lesson repeatedly: "one law for yourselves and the same law for the heathen"
*makes me a 'worshipper', in a weird way if you will, of the naysayers- because I am obeying them instead of G-d, even though it is not my intention to do so ----oops! (Kind of like children who listen to peers or siblings before they will listen to their parents; big mistake.)Or in other words, letting peer pressure in the religious rhelm keep me from speaking the truth or trying to inspire more righteous action in an area, just because it's not a popular viewpoint.