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What should our attitude toward observing mitzvos be? I have at
times heard people say, "I do this and that, but such and such I do
not believe that I have to do." <br><br>
Rav Dr. Breuer in his essay
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><b>Chorev: One Hundred Years
</b>that appears in the new book <b>A Unique Perspective</b> writes
<br><br>
To him who is imbued with such an unshakeable
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>emunah</i></font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>, Rav<br>
Hirsch addresses the theme of his interpretive essays with these<br>
powerful words:<br><br>
Even if every Divine precept were a riddle to us and<br>
presented us with a thousand unsolved and insoluble problems,<br>
the obligatory character of the commandments would<br>
not in the slightest degree be impaired by this. Whatever<br>
command or prohibition of God it may be that prompts one<br>
to ask why one should do this and not that, there is always<br>
but one and the same answer: Because it is the Will of God,<br>
and it is your duty to be the servant of God with all your<br>
powers and resources and with every breath of your life. This<br>
answer is not only adequate; it is essentially the only one<br>
possible, and it would remain so if we were ourselves able to<br>
penetrate into the reason for every commandment, or if God<br>
Himself had disclosed to us the reason for His commandments.<br>
We should have to perform them, not because there<br>
was such-and-such a reason for any commandment, but because<br>
God had ordained it. How else could we be servants of<br>
God? How else could we obey God?<br><br>
For him [Rav Hirsch] there is only one possible and adequate answer,
and<br>
that is: service to God. How else could we, whose lives are
determined<br>
by God’s Will, be servants of God, if we did not let God give<br>
direction to our lives and submit to Him in humble
obedience?</font></body>
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