Magazine 2023-08 web

FIXTURES FAUCETS HARDWARE ACCESSORIES BROOKLYN, NY 718.787.1000 HOMEANDSTONE.COM We are all “ sorer ” at certain points in our lives. Youths, especially, often go through “wayward” periods, times when they feel compelled to deviate from the course charted for them, to try different behaviors and lifestyles as part of the process of forging their identity and finding theirwayinthisverylargeandveryconfusingworld. TheTorahdoesnot require or even advise an exceptionally harsh response to a “wayward” youth. If a child – or even an adult, for that matter – is only “ sorer ,” having strayed from the correct path, there is no need for drastic measures. We are all imperfect human beings, and we are going to stray on occasion. The Torah firmly believes in people’s capacity to find our way back, and this should be our attitude when somebody strays – trusting that the individual can, with love, encouragement and guidance, find his or her way back to the proper path. Theproblemariseswhen theyoungster is not only “ sorer ,” but also “ moreh ” – when he strongly and passionately believes in his chosen lifestyle, when it becomes not just a lifestyle he chose, but an ideology that he has convinced himself is right, and which he “teaches” and passionately advocates for. This, perhaps, is the key to understanding the law of the ben sorer umoreh . The Gemara explains that the ben sorer umoreh is executed “ al shem sofo ” – because of what would otherwise inevitably unfold. The Torah has determined that a youngster who has placed himself on this trajectory would eventually become a dangerous murderer, a menace to society. Therefore, the Torah commands putting this youngster to death, to prevent him from growing to become a serial killer. The Gemara’s comments, at first glance, appear to undermine one of the most fundamental Torah precepts – that we are all capable of change. What rabbi hasn’t fervently spoken during Elul and the High Holidays about the Torah’s belief in a sinner’s capacity to change, the spark of holiness within every person, regardless of what he has done, that is waiting to be ignited? Since when does Judaism view somebody as a “lost cause,” a person who will inevitably fall lower and lower, who has no hope of repentance and recovery? The answer lies in the word “ moreh .” The Torah here is teaching us that if somebody not only acts wrongly, but has turned his wrongdoing into an ideology, and has become a “teacher,” prepared to defend and even encourage such misconduct, then he will not change. Of course, the Torah believes in the spark of holiness within each person which is never extinguished, which can always be ignited, and which always ensures a sinner’s ability to change course. But this spark will never be ignited if the sinner resists. A person who feels certain and confident about himself cannot change, because he will not allow himself to change. The problem with the ben sorer umoreh , then, is not that he’s sorer , that he commits terrible crimes, but that he is also moreh , an adherent of a sinful ideology that sees his crimes as virtuous. A Time for Humble Reassessment Returning to Elul, I believe we miss the mark if we focus during this month only on the faults and flaws which we are already aware of, לעילוי נשמתם של משה בן עליזה, יצחק הלל בן עליזה, והנרייט לאה בת עליזה, דוד בן גילה, רבקה בת גילה, יהושע בן גילה, משה בן גילה, שרה בת גילה, יעקב בן גילה, ואליאנה בת גילה. ולרפואה שלמה ליוסף בן אהובה מסעודה, שילת אהובה בת עליזה, ודניאל בן עליזה. 12 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE