I must think about myself first. The world surrounds me. We have become a culture that celebrates the individual, but more than that, on some level a culture that convinces us that our primary focus should be on what is better “for me.” If it suits me, then I should do it and if it doesn’t, then I should not.
For example, the most recent hotly debated issue is about schools opening in the fall. The debate is not exclusively about what is best for the children, but mixed into the arguments we hear issues such as “I am worried what could happen in an in-person environment,” or, “I need my kids to go back to school. I can’t work at home with them around.” Neither of these arguments is about what is better for the child even during this COVID cloud, but about how the parents feel. It’s all about the “me.”
Is this me culture a bad thing? After all, we do need a guiding post as we make our decisions.
Let’s see what the Torah has to say on the matter.
In this week’s Torah portion, there is a verse that says: “You shall not eat an abomination.” How would you explain this verse? If this is referring to a food that G-d prohibits, then this verse seems to be repetitive. Therefore, Rashi, the famous commentator, says that if it is an abomination to you, you shall not eat it. This is about you, not a general, overall statement.
There are times when we know in our own hearts what is “kosher” and what is not. What is right and what is wrong. What is an abomination—to us. This is not about what others will think about us, but rather how we think about ourselves. No one is judging us; we are judging ourselves. This is an internal audit of our own soul and we are the auditor. The question that we should ask ourselves is: Are we proud of the “trick” that we are playing on ourselves, that we are using to justify our decision? Are we really being truthful or our we outsmarting ourselves by not addressing the issues head on? Is our decision selfishly motivated or is it G-d-motivated? This is a question that we should be asking in every area in our lives.
As we work on ourselves to not outsmart ourselves and to be there for others, we pray that G-d will provide the smarts to those who are working to help us move on from this pandemic into a brighter future.