05/31/2026
If your father and your rabbi are both drowning at sea and only one can be saved, you save your rabbi.
Any Christian shocked by this has not fully grasped the message of Yeshua. He taught,
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37)
The Talmud (Bava Metzia 33a) explains that while your father brings you into this world, your rabbi brings you into the World to Come.
Another account of Yeshua’s teaching is given in such an extreme form as to have the teacher say that one must even disregard their own life to follow him (Luke 14:26).
Discipleship under the master must be desired beyond all else. It is not the pursuit of one human relationship over another but rather the pursuit of G-d before all things.
Yet this principle is often misunderstood.
Many imagine that devotion to G-d means greater attention to religious ritual, stricter observance, or more visible displays of piety. But Torah repeatedly teaches that true obedience is not measured by appearances.
Imagine two Jews walking to synagogue on Shabbat morning.
Both rose early. Both dressed carefully in their finest clothing. Both wrapped themselves in their tallitot. Both hurried down the street, eager to arrive in time for the prayers.
As they walk, each comes upon the scene of a terrible car accident.
The first man stops and stares in horror.
The collision is severe. He can see that lives may be at stake. He notices a motionless body slumped inside one of the vehicles.
He hopes for the best.
Then he continues on to synagogue.
There he prays with concentration and devotion. He recites every word. He receives the honor of being called to the Torah.
As he descends from the reading platform, respected members of the community shake his hand.
By the end of the service, he feels uplifted and deeply spiritual.
The second man sees the same accident and immediately runs toward it.
He finds a victim barely clinging to life. He spots a cell phone and, knowing full well that it is Shabbat, picks it up and calls for help.
He speaks with emergency dispatchers. He directs rescuers when they arrive. He removes his own tallit and uses it to comfort and protect the injured.
Only after the ambulances leave does he continue toward the synagogue—He arrives late.
The time for the morning Shema has passed. He has missed most of the service. He has no tallit. His clothes are stained.
The first man preserved the appearance of religion while neglecting its heart. The second man understood that the commandments were given for life.
The behaviors of only one of these men reflect authentic Torah Judaism. The other is a parody of it.
True discipleship is not measured by how religious one appears. It is measured by whether one is willing to place the will of G-d above reputation, comfort, recognition, and even the appearance of righteousness itself.
Sometimes serving G-d means arriving at synagogue on time
And sometimes serving G-d means never making it there at all.
