סימן א
סעיף א (1, 1)[1] שויתי
ה' לנגדי תמיד, I
place God before me always – For countless centuries this verse (Tehillim
16:8) has been interpreted,[2]
as it is being interpreted here by Rav Shlomo Ganzfried, as an expression of יראת ה' (yir’at
haShem), “fear (or awe) of God.” If I think of God
at all times, actively placing Him at the forefront of my mind and maintaining
an awareness of Him during all my waking hours, I will be imbued with the fear
of God and will be led into submission before Him. This submission will not
only be expressed via our thoughts and emotions, but it will be further manifested
in the way in which we behave. The hope, expressed by Rav Ganzfried in more certain terms, is that this thinking will ultimately lead a person to avoid sin and
wrongdoing.
Alternatively,
this verse can also be interpreted as a clear and simple expression of אהבת ה' (ahavat
haShem), “Love of God.” Scanning
the whole of the chapter from which this verse has been culled we see that it
is filled with expressions of faith in God and the joy that accompanies that
feeling. It is, indeed, a very happy psalm and it thus lends itself to a
positive interpretation. It would seem that this second approach would be the
more natural, the more basic explanation for this verse.
What is the
difference between these two approaches, between obedience to God due to fear
or heeding God's wishes out of love for God? It is not that I underestimate the
power of intimidation to motivate an individual to act in certain ways. Knowing
that God watches your every move and takes note of all you do certainly
inspires many to be on their best behavior at all times, or at least as often
as they can muster the inner strength to stay consciously aware of God's
watchful presence. Awareness that one is being observed in most cases will call
for a change in behavior. Doctoral researcher at the London School of Economics
and Political Science (2012-2013), Sander van der Linden put it this way: “I think Thomas
Jefferson was on a similar train of thought when he wrote, “Whenever you do a
thing, act as if all the world were watching.” I always found this to be a
particularly interesting quote, as it reminds us of the fact that we tend to be
on our best behavior when we know that we are being observed.”[3]
If van der Linden’s comments hold true for the perception of being watched, all
the more so should they hold true when we are really being watched.
While having God watch us can certainly be intimidating, it does not
need to be. Rather than picturing God as a warden or police officer, constantly
vigilant to see if anyone is doing wrong, God may be perceived as a parent
sitting on a park bench watching a child at play. Certainly the parent will
respond if they see their child throwing sand or pebbles at other children, but
their presence at the playground is an expression of love and concern for the
welfare of the child. The father or mother brought their child there for the
benefit of the child, not for the benefit of the parent, and they wish to be
certain that their child remains safe in this open environment. Even more, the
child wishes for the parent to be there, and at times, when the child does not
see the parent, he or she will go running, seeking out their “lost” father or
mother, crying until they find them.
In this chapter of
Tehillim, thinking of God leads David to the hope that he will avoid sin
(in keeping with one of the interpretations of “I shall not falter”), and still
the overall tone is one of love and happiness. He speaks of how his life
experiences and personal observations lead him to love, which further leads him
to think of God. Here David says that I put God before me at all times not to
enhance my fear (or even awe) of Him, but because I love Him and want Him there
in my life.
Such an
attitude – coming to feel love towards God – fosters the desire in a person to want
God to have a part in his life. This will lead a person to search out ways to
help him feel His Presence at every turn. This provides the impetus for a
person to perform the mitzvot, those behaviors designed to help the
individual accomplish this goal, to build such a relationship with God.
Given the
possibility to understand this verse as encouraging us to love God and to seek
His closeness, it occurs to me that in today's times this interpretation is the
one to be stressed. Such a message of love at the opening to the world of halakhah
would be more appropriate in this generation.
Rav Yehudah
Amital, past rosh yeshivah of Yeshivat Har Etzion, remarks,
"Aside from the educational problems mentioned above, it occurs to me that
in our age there is a deficiency in basing an observant Jew's service to God on
fear of punishment. In an age where people are sacrificing their lives for
national, social, and ethical ideals, it is demeaning for us to say that
service to God is performed only due to one's fear of punishment."[4]
To this I
would like to add without further comment a quote from Rav Yair Dreyfuss, rosh
yeshiva of Yeshivat Siach Yitzchak in Efrat, Israel:
For
this reason, R. Shagar[5]
was opposed to the attempts to exchange ahavat Torah for either yirat
Shamayim – an external motivation for learning Torah – or an
uncompromising insular ideology. In his opinion, Torah study should not
be based on yirat Shamayim, at least in the Religious Zionist community,
but, rather, on ahavat Torah and the curiosity and creativity inherent
in learning. Only thus may the Torah be restored to its former glory as “the
Book of the Covenant” between a Jew and his God.[6]
[3] “How the Illusion of Being Observed Can Make You a Better
Person.” Scientific American, May 3, 2011, available at http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-the-illusion-of-being-observed-can-make-you-better-person.
[4] V'haaretz natan livnei adam ("And the Earth He Gave to
Man" Jewish Values in a Changing World), Alon Shevut: Tevunot, 2005,
p. 20.
[5] A reference to Rav Shimon Gershon
Rosenberg (1949-2007), founding rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Siach Yitzchak,
who is widely known by the acronym of his name, Shagar.
[6] “Torah Study for Contemporary Times: Conservatism or
Revolution?” in Tradition 45, No. 2 (Summer 2012), pp. 33-34. The underlining
in the quote was added for emphasis.
