A Tiny Thread

Rav Kook commented on the great day of the revelation at Sinai. He introduced the term כחוט השערה, “like the thread of a hair,” to demonstrate that even a tiny change, could be the difference between holiness and the profane.

He gives several examples to demonstrate this. If we speak of slaughtering an animal so that it is kosher, a very tiny flaw can disqualify the animal. A small adhesion in the lung, or slightly cutting the animal in the wrong location, makes the animal unfit to eat. The rules of sacrifices also have very specific and minute details.

There is that moment that separates the weekday from Shabbat or a festival. We leave the profane, and enter the holy day. There is also that moment of conversion, when before immersion in a Mikva, they were not part of the Jewish people, and now they are.

It is important to realize that small details can have great significance. The way of life of an observant Jew, allows him to enjoy life just as much as the non-observant.

The difference comes with these small details. Observant Jews can enjoy delicious food. They must only make sure that the food is kosher. They can fall in love and enjoy intimacy. The details of the Torah make this intimacy holy when it is experienced as a married couple and the laws of Family Purity, are observed. Vacations can be enjoyed and they can live in beautiful homes. That small detail that separates from the holiness to the profane, comes from living according to the dictates of the Torah.

Many of the Mussar books speak of self indulgence and pampering as one of the greatest obstacles towards living a spiritual. As important as it is to believe, it may be equally important to have the discipline to put those beliefs into practice.