As a general rule, it’s not good to be motivated by fear. We shouldn’t do the right thing because we are worried about what might happen to us if we don’t, but rather, we should do the right thing because it is the right thing! But how do we know what the right thing is? One option is to look to the Torah, perhaps even to this week’s Parsha, Ki Tavo.
This week’s Parsha is all about blessings and curses… and it’s pretty heavy on the curses. In fact, even the section that tells us how to avoid them is written in terms of curses. It seems that, against our better instincts, the Torah tries to motivate us through fear.
So what are some of these things that, according to the Torah, we should be afraid to do? Parents might appreciate the one that says, “Cursed be the one who insults his mother or father!” But the Torah does not wish for us to only care about our families. This part of Ki Tavo tells us that we must respect all people around us. After mentioning our parents, we also read that “the one who misdirects a blind person” and “the one who subverts the rights of the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow” will also be cursed.
The Torah, this week, has the right message but perhaps the wrong method. Maybe, in the world of our ancestors, these concepts were so revolutionary that fear was a necessary motivator. In our world, we have the benefit of 3,000 years of tradition that helps us wrestle with and decide the right thing to do and the right way to act… without fear of a curse! Let us live free of the fear and be confident in doing the right thing. That way, instead of thinking about curses, we, ourselves, can be blessings.