Parshat Bo: Avoiding Systems Failure

As a Rabbi, I sometimes get the question, “Are some mitzvot more important than others?” I believe this week’s parsha can help us shed light on the notion that while there may be different rewards and punishments for certain mitzvot, they all require our complete attention.

The Torah describes the prohibition of eating chometz on Pesach by saying :,כי כל אכל מחמצת ונכרתה הנפש ההיא מעדת ישראל

“For anyone who eats chometz - that soul shall be cut off from the Jewish nation” (12:19).

Kareth is a punishment where a person is cut off, their spiritual being is cut from the Jewish people. This harsh punishment, although only applied for certain sins such as: eating on Yom Kippur, certain violations of Shabbat, not providing a son with a Brit Milah, etc. must be teaching us that these aveirot are so awful they do something to our entire being. Let’s dig a little deeper to understand this.

Rav Shlomo Wolbe zt”l explains that just as our physical existence is dependent on certain conditions such as food, drink and sleep, similarly the mitzvot are our spiritual conditions of life. If someone were to fail to observe the mitzvah of Sukkah, Shofar, Tefilin, etc., it is not just a lost opportunity to connect to Hashem, but also that person has literally deprived himself the integral ingredients which allow his spiritual side to live and grow. Each mitzvah can be compared to a different spiritual body part, and the lack of a certain part is a handicap that inhibits our proper existence.

The aveirot that are punishable by Kareth are so vital that one who doesn’t do it has caused a systems failure. He has not provided for his spiritual body and in its present state it can no longer survive - he is literally cut off from the Jewish people. So while doing other “smaller” aveirot might cause a slower more gradual harm to our spiritual souls, the Kareth sins cause an automatic systems failure.

Many of us have predispositions to certain mitzvot. Some love learning Torah, some love observing Shabbat or the chagim, while others enjoy performing acts of chesed. Although the mitzvot are critical and without them we cannot survive, the other mitzvot are just as necessary and must be performed to maintain a healthy spiritual life. Similarly when it comes to aveirot; although some are more critical and can cause systems failure when violated, it is important to avoid all aveirot to maintain a proper spiritual well-being.