12 Sivan 5783 – 2 June 2023
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי. וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי. וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתָי
He [also] used to say: If I am not for myself, who is for me? But if I am for my own self [only], what am I? And if not now, when?[1]
If I am not for myself, who is for me – It is we who must ensure that our souls place more and more value on spiritual matters and less and less on material pleasures. It is we who need to ensure that we are increasingly aware of the 7 Noahide Commandments and their details so that we can implement them properly. It is we who have to ensure that we learn to perform the mitzvot we can in an ever better way. With open. giving hands and a warm and loving heart.
But if I am for my own self [only], what am I? – As we achieve the above points more and more, we must be careful not to become haughty and look down on others who are not yet on the same step as us. We are part of a social environment, where we need to help and motivate others to grow spiritually as well. In addition we cannot sit back satisfied, but we should always strive to achieve higher spiritual goals. Improving ourselves today to day.
And if not now, when – from procrastination comes procrastination. Often, we know what we want to improve or change in our lives. What we want to do more or less of. We know it, but we decide to start doing it “tomorrow”. But “tomorrow” never happens.
By Angelique Sijbolts
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