Get busy…writes Rabbi Michoel Gourarie
The Kotzker Rebbe (a famous Chassidic leader) once said: “I don’t want my disciples to abstain from sin because they fear negative consequence. I want them to be free of sin simply because they have no time to transgress.”
Rabbi Michoel Gourarie
One of the needs of a human soul is constant movement and activity. Just to stop doing something evil is insufficient as the soul is still inactive leaving us in a state of emptiness. This vacuum is detrimental for the soul and often results in a return to negative behaviour.
Removal of the negative must be followed by a positive substitute. To quit smoking, to give up junk food or to minimize gossip is not enough to create a feeling of fulfilment. They must be replaced by positive activity which has purpose and meaning.
When the Jews left Egypt they were commanded to proceed immediately to Mt Sinai to receive the Torah. Exodus from slavery alone was an incomplete celebration. The revelation at Mt.Sinai completed the redemption because it replaced oppressive slavery with a healthy commitment and subservience to a higher reality.
Just not to sin leaves us empty. We need to fill our lives with a higher calling that results in projects of goodness and holiness. Let’s get busy.
Well said Rabbi Michoel