Order of Operations

There is great debate in how to "do" Judaism.  Mitzvot first?  Torah first?  Jewish history?  Aleph-bet?  Customs and traditions and holidays?

But perhaps we should look towards Torah for the answer, in Devarim 31:12:  (1) assemble; (2) hear; (3) learn; (4) awe; (5) observe and do "the words of this Torah."

The Lubavitcher Rebbe is famous for starting at the very end - the doing and the observing light the fire.  And he has certainly impacted millions of people, myself included.  But I have to wonder what, and I must say, if anything, is lost in this process.  And perhaps putting the comparison aside, why does the Torah prescribe this order instead?

There is strength in numbers.  The feeling of being together - so unusual for me, with two small children, and so rarely did I get to experience it on Rosh Hashana, powerfully - presents an atmosphere and dwelling-place where true holiness can reside - where the Presence of G-d can literally rest upon the Jewish people.

There is a reason why the Aseret Ha'Dibrot and really all of Torah was given over orally - until the very, very end, when it was written.  What is the power of hearing?  It is incorporation something that cannot be seen, touched, or smelled - pure energy - just like H'.  Amongst the senses, it is probably the most G-d-like.  Hearing takes attention and a lack of distraction.  Hearing is being dialed in.  Hearing is also interesting because you can listen to a one-, two-, or three-hour podcast and obviously not remember a single thing but know that you are changed.  That's the power of the incoming holy energy, and waves.  

What, for me, really got my Jewish soul ignited was daily and deep Torah study, and then writing it down.  Once the focus is there, the learning can click.

Awe, I think, it most gleaned during prayer and meditation.  Fear is such an outdated and inaccurate word - how the word is most commonly translated.  I much prefer this alternate translation I once heard - of awe.  When you truly prayer or meditate with intention and awareness, it is almost impossible not to literally feel the Presence of HaKadosh Baruch Hu meditating or praying with you.  When this sort of presence becomes so real, it is impossible not to feel the awe.

And then I personally think that this is when the mitzvot gain their real power - the doing and the observance.  For a full year, I put on tefillin almost on a daily basis but did so out of an urge for holy obedience, as opposed to real transformation.  Now, Rabbi Kaplan's entire book on tefillin, still only scratching the surface, is a favorite and I make a new connection with this holy connective object every time I put it on.  I love it, and skipping it is essentially unthinkable at this point.  Now, multiply that experience times every other mitzvah and the connection to H', I respectfully believe, grows and grows, b'ezrat H'.

Assemble; hear; learn; awe; observe and do.  How much more powerful can life be, a life dedicated to closeness to H' and real work in this holy place.