Let me share with you a story about R’ Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l. One day, he entered a taxi, and the driver, noticing the rabbi’s beard, immediately turned to him with a question. "Rabbi," he said, "I’ve been wondering, why is religion so restrictive? You can’t do this, you can’t do that - you can’t do anything! What’s the point of all these restrictions? I just don’t understand this whole religious thing."
R’ Elyashiv, sensing the driver’s confusion, decided not to answer immediately. He waited patiently, and as they drove along, he said nothing. Then, as the cab came to a stop at a red light, Rabbi Elyashiv saw an opportunity and turned to the driver. “Let me ask you something,” he began. “How do we know when we will reach our destination?”
The driver responded, "It will take some time, of course. We have to stop at a few more red lights along the way."
Rabbi Elyashiv then asked, “Why do we have to stop at these red lights? Who decided we need them? If there were no red lights, wouldn’t we get to our destination faster?”
The driver, now perplexed, replied, “Rabbi, you know very well that red lights are essential! Without them, there would be accidents. We need them to ensure everyone knows when to go and when to stop. They are there for our safety.”
Rabbi Elyashiv smiled. “May your ears hear the words coming out of your mouth.” He continued, “Just as we need red lights to protect us on the road, so too do we need restrictions in the Torah. These limitations are not to hinder us, but to protect us. Without boundaries, if everyone did as they pleased, there would be chaos and harm. The red lights keep us safe; the Torah’s restrictions safeguard our well-being.”
He turned to the driver with a gentle tone and explained, "Now do you see why the Torah gives us these restrictions? It is not to limit us, but to help and protect us. The Torah’s guidance is like the red lights - it keeps us from harm and ensures our spiritual safety."
What may initially seem restrictive is, in fact, a form of protection, safeguarding us from dangers we might not even recognize. The Torah, much like the red lights on the road, is there to guide us and ensure we reach our ultimate destination safely.
Reprinted from an email from TorahAnyTime Newsletter, Parshat Tzav
