There’s so many different customs within traditional Judaism. Which one is the right one? For example, there are at least four different valid customs that I know regarding the mourning period observed during Sefiras Ha’Omer. During this week, some men have long beards while others are still clean-shaven. In a few weeks, it will be opposite. Only one way is actually correct so who is right?

Rav Yisroel Miller from Pittsburgh has a very interesting idea that I would like to share this week. This week’s parsha begins with the commandment of a Bris Milah to take place eight days after a boy is born. The Sages rule that if the eighth day is Shabbos, even though the mitzvah of Bris Milah involves “work” that is normally forbidden on Shabbos, a person is still obligated to perform the Bris that day. The only allowance is for the actual milah to take place; no other malachos (“work” forbidden on Shabbos) are permitted. In the Gemara it states Rabi Eliezer disagreed with the Sages and stated that any malacha that is needed for the Bris Milah may be performed. For example, Rabi Eliezer would allow a knife to be sharpened to perform a Bris Milah while the Sages would not. Nowadays, we follow the opinion of the Sages, but this was not always the case. Back during the time of the Gemara, some communities would follow Rabi Eliezer’s leniency.

The Gemara continues with a story: one time there was a community that followed Rabi Eliezer’s opinion. They had a Bris Milah to perform on Shabbos but did not have the milah knife to perform it. Therefore, with much excitement, they cut down a tree, burned the wood to make charcoal, heated up a piece of metal, and fashioned the metal into a milah knife. The story concludes that because of this community’s excitement to perform this mitzvah, they were granted a long life and were saved from the Roman persecutions.

This Gemara is very confusing. We now know that what these people did was totally wrong. If someone did this today, they would be called sinners for breaking the laws of Shabbos because we follow the Sages ruling. It is true that they did not break the law on purpose, but they still broke the law. So why did they get such a great reward for doing something wrong?

The answer is that we do not know what is right or wrong and it is not always our job to know the difference. Our job is to follow a valid Rabbinic authority’s opinion and keep to it. When Moshiach comes, we will find out there was really one right way, but for now, as long as we are following a valid Rabbinic authority, even if we are following the wrong way, we are not held liable for it. Therefore, even if we see others doing differently than us, it does not mean one of us will ultimately not get credit for doing the mitzvah properly. We both get full credit and the more excitement we have, the more reward we get!

Good Shabbos!
-yes
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