You can learn a halachah in Torah and keep it in its little box. Or you can learn it deeply and discover how it applies to your inner life.
The halachah of the four custodians is a good example:
You've been granted a life in G‑d’s universe. How will you live it? What will you do with it? In what condition will you return it? Will you leave the world better than you found it, the same, or somewhat used and worn?
The Torah describes several options: You might be a borrower, a renter, a paid custodian, or an unpaid custodian. These are four ways you might be responsible for another person’s property, and all of them apply to your responsibility for this life you've been given.
You could be a borrower. The borrower pays nothing. Neither does he ask compensation for his care—whether that be filling the car’s tank with gas, feeding a pet, etc. And so, he accepts near-total liability for loss, damage, theft, and the like. He must return the goods in their original condition or pay the difference.
You, too, could live life for whatever you can get out of it, as borrowed time to do whatever you like with it and with the planet. You could promise nothing and ask nothing in return—just a life, for as long as it lasts.
Your Maker will say, “Fine, have it your way. I’m not involved. Just keep in mind that any damage is your responsibility to pay when you’re done.”
Alternatively, you could work out a transactional agreement with your Maker. You could be either a renter or a paid custodian.
A renter is still in it for himself, but he’s willing to provide something in return.
A paid custodian is working for the owner, but he’s expecting something for that work. After all, whatever it is that he's taking care of, it doesn't belong to him.
In either relationship, both parties say, “You provide this for me, and I’ll provide that for you.”
When you live life this way, you are only liable in cases of negligence. Whatever happens, as long as you can demonstrate that you took reasonable care of your life and performed all your responsibilities, you’re off the hook.
So your Maker says, “It’s a deal. I’ll help you out. But if you don’t keep your half of the deal, I won’t be able to keep Mine.”
Then there is one last alternative. There’s the unpaid custodian, who has the least liability. He is only liable if he abandons his duties or uses the property for himself.
You, too, could be a faithful steward of life. You could recognize that all you have belongs to the One Above, and your entire life’s meaning is as His agent. You would do whatever you can to care for your life, the lives of others, and the future of the planet, not for any reward, but simply as the trusted agent of your Maker.
Your Maker, in return, will take complete responsibility for all your needs and all your life. He will protect you and carry you, for you are His, and He is yours.
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