יום ה Date: 22 Iyar, 5774 (5/22/14) – RoshHashana#14 {Tani}

[ A+ ] /[ A- ]

DUAL Citizenship

[14b top] Braisa: The law always follows Beis Hillel. If one chooses to follow all the practices of Beis Shammai, that is permissible as well. However, if one takes the leniencies of both opinions, he is considered wicked and one who takes the stringencies of both is called a fool. One should follow either opinion in both their stringencies and leniencies.

T’s Lesson: This idea brings to mind the Jews of the Bible who used to sway between serving Hashem and idol worship. A person cannot be totally loyal to two opposing things. Whether it be loyalty to G-d, or who following various Halachik opinions, (ie: such as having multiple Rabbis to follow). This applies also to life priorities as well: A man must be loyal to his wife and family above all else, to his boss at work above all other employees and to Hashem as the ruler above anything else. A person cannot have dual loyalties, it just does not work. We should have in mind to stay true to Hashem as our ruler, our families as our main priorities, and the Torah as our One and only rulebook and guiding light.