A Jew once wrote to the Rebbe “Although I am of Chassidic pedigree I am not a professional chassid.” In response the Rebbe explained that there is no such thing as a “professional chassid.”
“One who views the function of a chassid as a profession missed the entire point of the Chassidic lifestyle and philosophy, which is the inspiration of the mind and the passion of the heart.” This week’s parsha Naso holds the distinction of being the single longest Torah portion, clocking in a whopping 176 verses. Equally amazing and actually perplexing is the fact that 71 of these verses are sets of six almost identical verses. A year after leaving Egypt the Jewish people built a Tabernacle in the desert to serve as a dwelling for G-d in their midst. When it was inaugurated on the first day of Nissan the leaders of the twelve tribes presented special sacrifices to inaugurate the altar on twelve separate days. All twelve leaders offered the identical, precise formula of sacrifices. The same number of cows, sheep, rams and goats. Even the weight of the silver bowls containing the flour for meal offerings and the incense were uniform. All twelve paragraphs describing the sacrifices are essentially copy and paste aside for the days and names of the tribes and their leaders. Why not record the formula once and conclude that each respective leader offered the same sacrifices on their respective day? The question becomes more acute in light of the fact that thousands of laws regarding Mitzvot that are relevant to us on a constant basis are barely mentioned in the Torah, and here the Torah records a one-time event with monotonous and unnecessary repetition! Our sages explain that while the leaders offered the exact same sacrifices, the intentions and prayers that accompanied the sacrifices were vastly different. Each one focused on a theme most relevant to their tribe. Recording the formula once and concluding that the others did exactly the same would be a lie. Because each day’s sacrifice was really “different.” Someone once asked Rabbi Adin Steinzaltz if reciting the same prayers every day gets boring. He remarked that while the words are the same, the person reciting them is different every day. “And if you’re the same today as you were yesterday, then you are boring.” The lengthy record of the inauguration of the altar 3,332 years ago teaches us that while Torah study, Mitzvah observance and prayer have a defined formula - this is not one-size-fits-all cookie-cutter religiosity. When we engage our minds and hearts in the Mitzvot we do and the prayers we recite they become truly personal - worthy of being recorded in the story of life as your unique contribution to making our world a better place. Judaism must be professional - executed precisely and properly - yet dynamic and personal with our personal passion and devotion.