Dancing His Way to Mitzvah Observance
I used to be acquainted with a righteous convert who lived in France. Unfortunately, after the fires of enthusiasm toward his newly-acquired religion died down, he developed a chilled attitude toward mitzvot, until he eventually abandoned the yoke of Hashem’s sovereignty.
One year, on Simchat Torah, I met this man in the Beit Hakeneset. He had come to partake of the festivities. I greeted him joyfully. I very much wanted to encourage him to return to the Jewish way of life, which he had embraced not too long ago, but found difficult to maintain. Therefore, I placed a Sefer Torah in his hands. To my surprise, he did not rebuff me. He reverently took the scroll and began swaying with it in enthusiasm and holiness.
When I observed his great excitement, I told him, “Hashem loves your dancing with the Sefer Torah. But you must know that this is not the primary way of demonstrating your love to Hashem. Asserting your love of Hashem must be expressed by means of mitzvah observance.” I explained to him the obligation and virtue of observing Shabbat, the hallmark of the Jew.
- Joyous dancing at a hachnasat Sefer Torah
After the holidays, I did not have occasion to meet this man for a long time. I had no idea whether or not my words had any effect on him.
Then, when I was visiting Eretz Yisrael, whom should I meet but this very convert? After speaking together for a few minutes, attempting once more to convince him to keep Shabbat, I was met with a pleasant surprise. He told me that my words on that Simchat Torah had made their mark. He now keeps Shabbat in all its details.
External expressions of love toward Hashem are wonderful. But they cannot replace serving Hashem through Torah and mitzvah observance.
