Daf Yomi Nedarim 19
What separates the average observant Jew from the
non-observant Jew? Nothing more than
accident of birth. One was born into a more
religious family while the other was born into a less religious family. As a result, the former ended up with a good
Jewish education; the latter is lucky if he can read Hebrew, let alone
translate a verse of the Chumash.
The Mishnah states:
Concerning unclear vows, one must err on the side of stringency.
The Gemara asks:
Elsewhere we learned that we treat unclear vows of nazirism with leniency. How do we reconcile these two contradictory
teachings?
Rabbi Zaira answers:
The nazirism ruling was made by Rabbi Eliezer, whereas our Mishnah was a ruling
of the Rabbis.
Abaye challenges him: But
Rabbi Eliezer teaches that in the case of questionable firstborns, the burden
of proof rests upon the cohen seeking to claim the firstborn. But they are nonetheless forbidden for work
or to benefit from their wool. Thus, we
see that Rabbi Eliezer errs on the side of stringency!
Rabbi Zaira responds: How can you compare naturally occurring
holiness to man-made holiness? Firstborns
become sanctified at birth by natural occurrences, whereas vows are a form of
holiness induced by human beings.
The fact that you may be a frum Jew doesn’t make you any
better than a secular Jew. If you are
who you are because of the family you were lucky enough to be born into, that
is called ‘naturally-occurring holiness.’ It’s not a bad place to be, you are
indeed blessed. While you may not be any
better than a non-observant Jew, you
are certainly better off.
But if you actually want to become a better Jew, you have to
start making conscious choices. You didn’t
make any choices to get here. Your
parents made a choice and you went with the flow. You can’t compare naturally occurring
holiness to man-made holiness!
What efforts are you making for your spirituality? Are you simply treading water? Or are you determined to take ownership of
the incredible heritage bequeathed you by your parents?
Maybe your parents taught you to keep Shabbos. But their Shabbos table was dry and lacking
spirit. You can make a choice to imbue
the atmosphere with divrei (words of)
Torah and zemiros (songs of
praise)! Maybe your parents taught you
how to daven. It’s your choice whether
you will daven with a thrice daily minyan and focus on each word of the
prayers!
Are you continuing along the path set you by your parents,
without having accomplished anything on your own? It’s time to create some man-made holiness in
your life. May you merit taking the
blessed lot you were granted in life to a whole new spiritual level through
your own incredible efforts!
