Chagigah 18

One of the first questions that a gym instructor or personal trainer might ask a new client is what is their goals: Do they want to build muscle tone? Increase fitness? Or lose weight?

In principle, these goals can overlap with one another. Still, what the instructor or trainer wishes to know when asking these questions is: ‘What is the intention of the client?’ and ‘What is motivating them?’ because the energy we put into things differs greatly when we are motivated and when we are not.

I mention this in light of a teaching in the Mishna (Chagigah 2:6) found in today’s daf (Chagigah 18b) which states that:
‘If someone immersed with the intention of eating chullin (non-sacred food), then they assume a presumptive status of ritual purity for chullin and are prohibited from eating ma’aser (tithes). If someone immersed with the intention to eat ma’aser, then they assume a presumptive status of ritual purity for ma’aser and are prohibited from eating teruma. If someone immersed with the intention for eating teruma, then they assume a presumptive status of ritual purity for teruma, and are prohibited from eating kodesh (sacrificial food). If someone immersed with the intention of eating kodesh, then they assume a presumptive status for kodesh and are prohibited from coming into contact with the chatat (purification) waters.’

What this comes to teach us is that, at least in the realm of spiritual purification, immersion requires ‘kavanah’ (intention) such that if someone is focused on one level of spiritual purification, their immersion is ineffective to help them achieve a further level of spiritual purification because this goal was not their intention.

In a similar manner to our physical improvement, the energy we put into our spiritual lives differs greatly when we are motivated and when we are not, and just as goals are helpful for physical fitness, they are also helpful for spiritual growth. Given this, as we start a new week, it is worthwhile asking ourselves: What are our goals?