Q&A: Devotion to the Commandments
Devotion to the Commandments
Question
Hello Rabbi Michael.
Rabbi, regarding the statement that one should keep the commandments only because that is what is right to do—this doesn’t work so well for simple people like me. It’s hard, as it were, to devote oneself to the commandments in every situation, especially in cases of weakness and in times of constricted consciousness. So how can one keep the commandments not for their own sake, but for the sake of reward in the World to Come and because of utilitarian considerations?
How do you, Rabbi, see reverence for Heaven—as in, devoting oneself to the commandments?
Answer
My claim was not about psychological reinforcement for keeping the commandments, but about the truth. That is the proper way to serve. Whether it is hard or easy, whether one comes out strengthened or not—those are other, practical questions.