So much of Deuteronomy is written from a cause-and-effect philosophy, and this week’s Torah portion is no exception. It begins by stating that if you observe the commandments you will be rewarded and if you disobey you will be punished. Can we really believe in such a philosophy in the 21^st century? We all know of people who do bad things and appear to be rewarded and who do good yet are afflicted.

The rabbis took the philosophy that one’s true reward or punishment would come in the “World to Come” yet I’m not sure we can follow this philosophy either. After all, Judaism on the whole is a this-worldly religion. We also know from mindfulness work that we cannot focus too far ahead but rather must be centered on the present.

The philosophy that I embrace is that we need to focus on what we can do in this moment to enhance our lives, and the commandments can be guideposts to help us do that. In my Weekly Message, I gave some examples as to how being mindful of what we eat (keeping kosher), being mindful of taking time for family (keeping Shabbat) and having a conduit through which to examine how we are feeling or what’s going on with us (praying to G-d) can be invaluable tools through which to enrich our lives. I invite us this Shabbat and beyond to look for those tools for our own lives, not comparing ourselves to others or trying to come up with “the big picture” at the expense of what is going on for us right now. Ken yhi ratzon, may it be our will to do so.