Wisdom:
The Yom Tov of Kabalas Hatorah is rapidly approaching. But what does it mean to be mekabel the Torah? We are also mekabel Shabbos every Friday evening. The Arizal says every morning we should say “Hareini mekabel ali mitzvos asei shel ve’ahavta l’reiacha kamochah” (I hereby accept upon myself the mitzvah to love my fellow Jew). The Hebrew word mekabel, to receive, is not a term of proactively going to get something. Why do we use a sleepy, passive term in pursuit of these holy mitzvos?! We should rise like a lion to go out and get the Torah!
One answer could be that the term “mekabel” is used when the concept we wish to pursue is already intrinsically baked into the fiber of our being. Since it is already within us, there is nowhere we need to “go” if we want to connect to it. Rather, the work is to open ourselves up, to access and receive what is already there.
As we are mekabel Shabbos, we open ourselves up to welcome it and allow it to penetrate our soul. The Gemara records that Rav Yehuda would sit on Friday afternoon, waiting and wanting for Shabbos to arrive. He didn’t have to “go” anywhere, he just had to receive, to be mekabel Shabbos. Because every Jew is one neshamah, loving each other is a core part of who we are. If I can just remove from myself the things that are blocking that energy, I can receive Ahavas Yisroel.
Integration Tool
As you prepare to receive the Torah, remind yourself that the Torah is part of the fabric of every Jew. Close your eyes for a moment and ask Hashem to help you remove whatever may be blocking that connection. Look inward, and open your soul to receive the holy Torah which is already a piece of who you are. Yisroel, Oraysa, v’Kudsha Brich Hu chad hu, The Jewish people, the Torah, and Hashem, are One.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 36.
