Question:
We are taught that Hashem gave us mitzvot to help us become better people in three ways: towards each other, towards Hashem and towards ourselves. Yet there is a concept of yiraat hashem (fear of God) that tells us that even if we do not want to do mitzvot we have to because Hashem commanded us to do so. For example: If I don't want to get up for davening. Based on the mitzvot helping me approach, I do not need to get up because I do not feel like improving myself but based on the yirat shomayim, I have to get up because I am commanded to do so. How do I deal with this dilemma, can both approaches exist together?
Answer:
Ideally, mitzvot should be done gladly with and for the purpose of serving Hashem. As you note, this is not always possible so I will attempt to answer you within that context. The flaw -- apologies for starting with a negative -- in the question is the suggestion that mitzvot are solely for the individual's betterment. While this is true, it is but one small piece of the puzzle. What if you learned that mitzvot are much more? What if you were to see them as the means -- possibly the means -- by which each of us contributes to the repair of or further deterioration of the world? I'll try to [briefly] explain.
Unlike every other creation inhabiting the material and spiritual worlds, man is a hybrid. Created from dirt, he possesses a spark of the Divine unequaled by any other. Yes, plants and animals have some form of life-giving spirit (soul) but not on the level of humanity. It is the human soul that distinguishes us from all other creatures on the earth and even sets us above the beings that inhabit the spiritual realms: “…he is more refined than all the creations on earth. More than this, he also incorporates and interconnects all of the worlds and all of their details from bottom upwards…for the light of the foundry of man’s souls is more internal and higher than the light of the foundry of angels and therefore they are man’s servants. He [man] is the cause of the angel’s light and life force extending to them from the light of the Ten Sefirot…” (Rav Chaim Vital, Sefer Shaarei Kedushah Part 3 Gate 2)
Humanity is a bridge between the physical and the spiritual. Man’s relationship to the worlds parallels that of the soul to the body. Just as the soul can only take action by the simultaneous movement of the body, the worlds are dependent upon a corresponding or preceding action on our part. Everything we do, think and say impacts the level of holiness extant in the spiritual realm. When we act in a Torah-true fashion, we positively increase the level of holiness. When we act in the converse, we reduce it. In turn, the 'quality' and 'quantity' of the Divine light (shefa) that descends to the physical world (our world) is directly related to the quality of our actions (the mitzvot) in this world. Think of the physical and spiritual worlds as an engine. Engines require fuel to function. A tank full of high-octane, clean gasoline results in a smooth, efficient and environmentally-friendly running engine. A tank with less pure fuel results in a less efficient, louder, more polluting engine. Our mitzvot are that fuel. The greater the quantity and quality of our mitzvot, the greater the benefit granted from above. The more positive energy (holiness) we input into the system directly impacts the collective quality of our lives. And, this is not limited to Jews. The same holds true, although with some differences, for the efforts of all of humanity.
If seen in this way, the motivation for keeping mitzvot shifts from a matter of personal preference to that of communal responsibility. Does that mean that you will "rise like a lion" every morning, probably not. It doesn't even mean that you are going to necessarily enjoy keeping mitzvot but that's not a prerequisite to observance. Each of us do many things in the course of our days that we don't particularly enjoy -- i.e. going to school, going to work -- but we do it anyway because it's essential for our well-being and that of those we care for. Keeping mitzvot is basically the same idea except the consequences for observance or non-observance are far more impactful. The difficulty is that, when you don't go to work, the result is felt immediately, and the solution is clear. When you do or don't keep mitzvot, there is no easily discernible change so there's no impetus to maintain or change your behavior. However, our inability or unwillingness to acknowledge and accept the tremendous power each of us possesses to impact our world, doesn't negate that fact.
What we need to understand, as Spiderman's Uncle Ben told him, "with great power, comes great responsibility". Each of us has been created in His image, endowed with an ability to bridge the physical and spiritual universes. The ‘reality’ is that our thoughts and actions have an impact far beyond our wildest imagination. It is up to us to choose whether and how to use such enormous power.
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