Exploring the Heart of Avodas Hashem: The Power of Intention

What is it that Hashem truly wants from us? If we could summarize our Avotas Hashem into one phrase, one idea, what would it be? Is it to serve Hashem by doing his mitzvos? Is it all about mitzvos? Is that what it is? Perhaps you could make a strong case. Or maybe it's about character rectification, learning musr and perfecting our actions. Maybe it's about Tufila or Emuna. Which one is it? Perhaps this Rashi, and citing a Medrish, will throw a bit of a monkey wrench into the contest. You see, there is this famous parasha called Nidharim vows and o's that we've spoken about, and there's an interesting halacha that when a young girl will make a vow to become a Nazarite, a Nazir, her father has the ability to nullify it, to veto her decision, seeing that it's going to get in the way of normal, healthy practices. The imhaini avy o'sa be yomsho mo. If the father will veto her vow, kol nidore ve esore ha sherasar al nafshah, if he will get rid of any of the vow or o's that she has made, lo yokum, they will not stand, it will be nullified. The Hashem yislachlah and God will forgive her. So Rashi wants to know forgive her for what? And Rashi brings the Medrish that this is referring to a specific and unique case in which this daughter made a vow she's going to be a Nazarite, she's not going to touch dead, impure bodies and things, she's not going to drink wine and all of the different practices that an ulcer would have. I guess she would grow her hair out too. Yeah, guess so, anyway. But what happens if she should go after this Nidharim when her father then made it void and vetoed it, and she then will drink wine, thinking that it's a sin, even though it is truly not? In that case she needs a kapar of Hashem yislachlah. God will forgive her, says Rashi, because she didn't know that her father had vetoed it. She made the Neder and then went out drinking, and she needs a forgiveness. We see here how much the Almighty treasures our intentions, our meaning behind the actions. It was totally permitted for her to go and have a glass of wine. Her father had ripped up her oath and vow, but she had broken her word, she had destroyed her intentions. Her lishmah and chazal have educated us and told us what Klawli, israel's avaida is. What is at the root of every single Jew's service to his master? It is Rahmana liba bay. Hashem wants your heart and in this case, you went to go eat pig and although it wasn't, it was totally kosher, usda approved kosher meat. You broke your intentions, you destroyed your heart and you therefore need an atonement in a kapara from Hashem. Judaism, in a nutshell, might we suggest, is Rahmana liba bay, pure pristine motives and intentions to serve Hashem with all of our heart.