Actions Over Words
When it comes to the practice of our Judaism, people often say it’s important to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. This means that it’s not enough to know the right things to do, or even to discuss and be a proponent of doing those things. Instead, you have to actually do them. Talking the talk means you know what’s right. Walking the walk means it’s serious enough to you that you take action and do it.
Sincerity in Torah Study
I recall a friend’s sister said she was looking to marry someone who was going to be sitting and learning Torah. She said, “But that means sitting, and LEARNING.” Just “being” in Kollel (school for advanced Talmud studies), without actually sitting there steeped in Torah study was not what she wanted. The people just in it for the reputation of being a “learner,” but who actually spend more of their time in the coffee room or walking around schmoozing, are not sincere enough about the elevated status of learning Torah.
The ones who are willing to put in hours of toil and study even when they could be in a dozen other places, who care about what they’re doing and see the value in it, those are the ones who truly appreciate what it means. They will walk the walk by staying in the Beit Midrash (study hall) even when everyone else is running out to see the President, an eclipse or rainbow, or a visiting friend.
I heard that when Rabbi Shmuel Berenbaum zt”l was on a plane to Israel once, it was diverted to Cyprus, where there was a lot of military activity going on. Everyone on the plane was staring out the windows, trying to catch a glimpse of the action, but R’ Shmuel’s head was down in his Gemara (Talmud). That was more exciting than anything else.
Wok the Wok
I’m sure that while you’re following my train of thought about acting on the correct behaviors, you’re also wondering what happened to my ability to spell. The title of this piece is Wok the Wok, which sounds like a Chinese cooking show. Did I let my spellcheck take over and revise the way “walk” is spelled? No, my friend, I can assure you it was a very deliberate spelling.
I’m a big believer that when we see things, they are meant to convey messages to us. Some people will ignore them as just normal occurrences, but some people will look for ways to find meaning in whatever they experience, as I have been advocating for decades. Well, one evening, I was shopping in a local supermarket and my wife asked me to order some food for her. They have a full fast-food menu and they prepare things like sandwiches, salads, burgers, and yes, Chinese dishes too.
Lessons from the Kitchen
When you order, you can watch the food being made before your eyes. As I was watching the clock in order to make it to shul (synagogue), I was very aware of when they began and prepped my order. I saw them sauté the vegetables, add the sauce, pack the rice, and cook the chicken. I was waiting for them to combine everything and finally place it in the container, but they didn’t do it right away.
Instead, I saw them use a long-handled utensil to turn on a water faucet, filling the wok they had just used. It had a scrubbing surface of some sort at the end of the long handle, and they deftly swished it around the wok, getting off the remnants of the food they had just prepared. They then tipped the wok over, spilling the water out, and did it one more time. I kept wanting them to just pack my food so I could leave, but they took the time to wash out the wok, making it available for the next order.
Cleaning the Soul Without Delay
As I stood there, I realized that Chinese food uses a lot of sticky sauces, and if they didn’t strike while the iron – or whatever non-stick metal woks are made of – was hot, it would be a lot harder to clean later. It reminded me of teshuvah (repentance). When we do something wrong, and we all do, what is our next step? Do we try to pretend it never happened? Do we deny it? Or do we instead acknowledge what we did and try to repent?
Our best bet is to get rid of the stain on our souls before it sets in and gets harder to remove. If we wipe off the superficial schmutz (dirt) as soon as possible, it will be easier to remove than if we wait. That can apply to being lazy about doing the right things too. If we act fast, we can overcome the procrastination before it becomes a habit. My experience taught me that not only should we want to walk the walk, but if we wok the wok – meaning acting with zerizut (alacrity) and an awareness of what procrastination does – we’ll quickly be fresh and clean and ready for whatever comes next.
By Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz
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