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Why Do a Mitzvah?


Question:

Dear Rabbi, why do we do a mitzvah? Is it because it's the right or nice thing to do, or is it because God tells us to do it?



AskTheRabbi.org answered:

Remember your first computer? From calculator to graphics, spreadsheets to games, at the click of a button you've got it all. Good old-fashioned brains went out of commission long ago.

Proud owner that you are, you plug in the computer (what's that cable for?), and switch it on. Clicking your mouse on mysterious programs, you start to wonder if you'll ever work out how to run the machine. What does disk defragmenter mean? Aren't cookies something you eat? What was that I just deleted? Oh no. now the computer's not responding to anything I do!

Don't you love the times when you settle in front of the screen raring to go, when a window pops out of nowhere informing you that your program has crashed, "Windows is restarting!" Or those white-knuckle moments when you open an Email attachment only to find the words "virus loading" laughing at you on your screen. What should you do?

In order to use your computer effectively and safely, and to preserve your own sanity, it's essential to read the instructions that are there to help you.

Life in this world is far more complicated than any machine. If a computer needs an instruction manual, then all the more so the world requires one.

The Torah was God's blueprint in the creation of the world. In order to reap maximum benefit from this world, God commanded us to follow the rules of the Torah. For who knows better than the Creator how to derive optimum usage from creation?

Man was created for a purpose. That purpose is to fulfill God's will as outlined in His Torah. By keeping mitzvot a person elevates himself and earns reward in the world-to-come. There are two main purposes behind keeping the mitzvot. One is to incorporate in himself higher levels of excellence. The other is to recognize areas of deficiency. The goal of both is to make him recognize God and strive to draw closer to Him. This explains why mitzvot cover every aspect of life.

Although reasons for most mitzvot are readily available (see Sefer HaChinuch), all of them still have deep underlying reasons that are known to God alone. Mitzvot are spiritual entities that can have an impact on our lives and on the universe as a whole. Our limited, physical brains are incapable of grasping the full mystical effects of a mitzvah.

Mitzvot are frequently looked upon as ways of perfecting the natural evil traits in people. For example, there is a prohibition to steal. Why do we have this mitzvah? Because Man often has an inclination to steal, and this mitzvah is meant to prevent him from doing it? In reality it is quite the opposite. God, for a reason, wanted there to be mitzvah not to steal. As a result He created people with a desire to steal, in order that they can fulfill this mitzvah.

To sum up; mitzvot are here for us. If we follow the rules outlined in the instruction manual, the Torah, we are well on our way to achieving a truly happy life, both in this world, and when one receives the final reward in the next. 


 
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