Nature or nurture, that is the question?
Truth is, it’s more a statement. The beauty of life is that we can always nurture and achieve even if it’s not so natural to us.
The opposite is also true. Mankind wasn’t created perfect; by design. We all have character traits that need perfecting. It takes discipline, creativity, resolve and a strong sense of wrong from right.
This week’s Torah portion spares no words when speaking of the ethical responsibility of a person to return a lost object or to help adjust a load on a pack animal that needs adjusting. Curiously however, after establishing the responsibility it explicitly prohibits “pretending” you don’t see the need. Conveniently not noticing the lost object or the seeming help needed.
The Torah is sparing with words so it jumps out when adding emphasis on not being mindful, on rationalizing if you will.
Nature. The Torah is obviously speaking to the nature of the human being but saying it needn’t be so. Nurture. We aren’t created finished products and that’s what makes life so exciting if not challenging.
We are currently in the month of Elul, the preparatory month for the High Holidays that are approaching. It’s a month of reflection of the past year and resolution for the year ahead. Gd beckons to us with extra closeness and added energies to achieve our goals and aspirations.
Basically it’s a month that we can transform nature through nurture. Case closed!
With best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yehuda & Dina Kantor
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