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Tuesday, March 16, 2004
My Rebbi at Gush, Rabbi Moshe Taragin, would ask us:
What would you do if tomorrow G-d gave you a day off? He wouldn't, but if He did, what would you do? If G-d came to you in a dream tonight and told you that tommorow you could eat whatever you want, go wherever you want, and do whatever you want, what would you do?I recently found out that someone I know is a ger. This person grew up in a non-orthodox home, and only once she became observant did she find out that she isn't actually Jewish. So this actually happened to her. She had the opportunity to either choose to keep the miztvos or not to. At any rate, she chose to convert. (convert! you imagine having to convert) The strangest part of this situation is that since she keeps the mitzvos, she is now not able to cook for herself, because her own cooking is bishul akum. She needs to have someone else turn on the oven!I hope that your answer would be that you wouldn't change a thing. We shouldn't just keep the mitzvos because we are commanded to; we should realize that they are the best way to live. That's why G-d gave them to us. We should internalize this.
For her, the choice was obvious. She realizes that walking away would be to throw away the amazing gifts that G-d has given the Jewish people.
What would you do?
