Zechusamזכותם
Lehavas David · Parshas Bechukosai · Maamar ד

Walking in the Chukim: Serving Hashem With Self-Surrender

From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitzהרב דוד מתתיהו בן יחיאל יהושע רבינוביץProfile ›
Vayikra 26:3
אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם
If you will walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and do them.
1“If you will walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and do them.”1 The commentators, the Ohr HaChaim among them, ask:2 why does the verse say telechu, “you will walk”? Must a person walk while he does the mitzvos? There is also a problem in the wording. In its plain sense, “and keep My commandments” means doing the mitzvos, so why does the verse repeat itself and add “and do them”? On these words the Midrash expounds:3 “If you have kept the Torah, I count it for you as though you had made yourselves.” What does it mean that a person, as it were, “makes” himself, and what virtue is there in that?
אִם בְּחוּקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ וְאֶת מִצְוֹתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אוֹתָם (כו, ג). הִקְשׁוּ הַמְּפָרְשִׁים (אור החיים) מַהוּ הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳תֵּלֵכוּ׳, וְכִי צָרִיךְ לֵילֵךְ בְּעֵת עֲשִׂיַּית הַמִּצְוֹת. עוֹד יֵשׁ לְדַקְדֵּק, דִּבְפַשְׁטוּת ׳וְאֶת מִצְוֹתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ׳ הַכַּוָּונָה לַעֲשִׂיַּית הַמִּצְוֹת, וְאִם כֵּן לָמָּה כָּפַל הַכָּתוּב לְשׁוֹנוֹ וְאָמַר שׁוּב ׳וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אוֹתָם׳. וּבַמִּדְרָשׁ (ויקרא רבה לה, ז) דָּרְשׁוּ עַל זֶה הַכָּתוּב ׳וְאֶת מִצְוֹתַי תַּעֲשׂוּ׳, אִם שְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת הַתּוֹרָה הֲרֵינִי מַעֲלֶה עֲלֵיכֶם כְּאִלּוּ עֲשִׂיתֶם עַצְמְכֶם, וְצָרִיךְ בֵּיאוּר מַה הַכַּוָּונָה בָּזֶה שֶׁהָאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה כִּבְיָכוֹל אֶת עַצְמוֹ, וּמַה מַעֲלָה יֵשׁ בָּזֶה.
  1. Vayikra 26:3. ↩
  2. Ohr HaChaim on Vayikra 26:3. ↩
  3. Vayikra Rabbah 35:7. The Midrash reads osam, “them,” as atem, “you”: “and you shall make yourselves.” The sefer cites the verse here as ve'es mitzvosai ta'asu, “and do My commandments.” ↩
In shortWhy “walk” in the statutes, why add “do them” after “keep,” and what does the Midrash mean that keeping the Torah “makes” a person?
2aMy holy father and teacher, zt"l, spoke about a Midrash on our verse:4 “This is what is written, ‘I considered my ways, and I turned my feet back to Your testimonies.’ Dovid said: Master of the world, every single day I would plan and say, ‘I am going to such-and-such a place, to such-and-such a house,’ and my feet would bring me to the synagogues and the study halls.” The holy sefarim ask: what business did Dovid HaMelech have each day before going to the synagogues, that he should say of it, “I considered my ways”?
וְהִנֵּה כ״ק אאמו״ר זצללה״ה אָמַר עַל הָא דְּאִיתָא בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (ויקרא רבה לה, א), הָדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (תהלים קיט, נט) ״חִשַּׁבְתִּי דְרָכָי וָאָשִׁיבָה רַגְלַי אֶל עֵדוֹתֶיךָ״, אָמַר דָּוִד רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם בְּכָל יוֹם וְיוֹם הָיִיתִי מְחַשֵּׁב וְאוֹמֵר לְמָקוֹם פְּלוֹנִי וּלְבֵית דִּירָה פְּלוֹנִית אֲנִי הוֹלֵךְ, וְהָיוּ רַגְלַי מְבִיאוֹת אוֹתִי לְבָתֵּי כְּנֵסִיּוֹת וּלְבָתֵּי מִדְרָשׁוֹת, וְהִקְשׁוּ בַּסְּפָרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים מֶה הָיָה הָעֲסָקִים שֶׁל דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ כָּל יוֹם קוֹדֶם שֶׁהָלַךְ לְבָתֵּי כְּנֵסִיּוֹת, שֶׁעַל זֶה אָמַר ׳חִשַּׁבְתִּי דְרָכָי׳.
  1. Vayikra Rabbah 35:1; Tehillim 119:59. ↩
2bMy father explained this using a teaching of the Be'er Mayim Chaim on the verse “And my sin is before me always.”5 At first glance this verse is hard to understand: did Dovid not believe that once he had done teshuvah, Hashem, blessed be He, had forgiven his sins? The Be'er Mayim Chaim explains that a person who has sinned must take the forces of his yetzer hara and bring them into holiness: he must engage in Torah and mitzvos with the same warmth with which he sinned. That is what Dovid meant by “And my sin is before me always.” He always kept before his eyes the warmth and the feelings with which he had sinned, and remembered them, so that he would do Torah and mitzvos with that same vitality and desire. On this basis my father explained Dovid HaMelech's words “I considered my ways”: Dovid considered the vitality and warmth with which people do physical things. “And I turned my feet back to Your testimonies”: with that same vitality and warmth he went about avodas Hashem, the service of Hashem.
וּבֵיאֵר עַל פִּי דִּבְרֵי הַבְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים עַל הַכָּתוּב (תהלים נא, ה) ״וְחַטָּאתִי נֶגְדִּי תָמִיד״, דְּלִכְאוֹרָה קָשֶׁה, וְכִי לֹא הֶאֱמִין דָּוִד שֶׁאַחַר שֶׁעָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ מָחַל לוֹ עַל עֲוֹונוֹתָיו. וּבֵיאֵר, דְּהִנֵּה הָאָדָם שֶׁחָטָא, צָרִיךְ לִרְאוֹת לְהַכְנִיס אֶת כּוֹחוֹת הַיֵּצֶר הָרַע שֶׁלּוֹ אֶל הַקְּדוּשָּׁה, שֶׁכְּאוֹתָהּ חֲמִימוּת שֶׁבָּהּ עָשָׂה הָעֲבֵירָה כָּךְ צָרִיךְ לַעֲסוֹק בַּתּוֹרָה וּמִצְוֹות, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר דָּוִד ׳וְחַטָּאתִי נֶגְדִּי תָמִיד׳, הַיְינוּ שֶׁתָּמִיד הֶעֱמִיד נֶגֶד עֵינָיו וְזָכַר אֶת הַחֲמִימוּת וְהַהַרְגָּשׁוֹת שֶׁבָּהֶם עָשָׂה הַחֵטְא, בִּכְדֵי שֶׁבְּעִסְקוֹ בַּתּוֹרָה וּמִצְוֹות יַעֲשֵׂם בְּאוֹתָהּ חַיּוּת וְחֵשֶׁק. וְעַל פִּי זֶה בֵּיאֵר כ״ק אאמו״ר זצללה״ה אֶת שֶׁאָמַר דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ ׳חִשַּׁבְתִּי דְרָכָי׳, הַיְינוּ שֶׁחִישֵּׁב בְּאֵיזֶה חַיּוּת וַחֲמִימוּת עוֹשִׂים אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הַגַּשְׁמִיִּים, ׳וְאָשִׁיבָה רַגְלַי אֶל עֵדוֹתֶיךָ׳ שֶׁבְּאוֹתָהּ חַיּוּת וַחֲמִימוּת הִתְנַהֵג וְעָשָׂה בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם.
  1. Tehillim 51:5. ↩
In shortDovid kept the warmth of his past sin before him to serve Hashem with it; so too he turned worldly zeal to Torah.
3This idea can be explained further. How can a person truly live up to it, serving the Holy One, blessed be He, with vitality and desire? The way is through the chukim, the decrees given without a reason. When a person fulfills a chok, the Satan comes and holds him back, saying, “What reason is there in it?” But suppose he goes ahead all the same, fulfilling these mitzvos that are a chok and doing them out of love. Then, as a matter of course, when he comes to fulfill all the mitzvos of the Torah, he will surely do them with joy and vitality, the way people do physical things. This is the meaning of “If you will walk in My statutes.” If, when you go and do the chukim, you do them out of love and joy, then you will be privileged to “keep My commandments,” in the sense of “and his father kept the matter”:6 you will stand and wait eagerly for the moment when you can fulfill the mitzvos.
וְיֵשׁ לְבָאֵר יוֹתֵר עִנְיָן זֶה, דְּהִנֵּה יֵשׁ לְהָבִין, אֵיךְ בֶּאֱמֶת אֶפְשָׁר לְקַיֵּים עִנְיָן זֶה, לַעֲבוֹד אֶת הקב״ה מִתּוֹךְ חַיּוּת וְחֵשֶׁק. זֹאת הוּא בְּאִם בִּשְׁעַת קִיּוּם הַחוּקִּים שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם טַעַם, וַעֲלֵיהֶם בָּא הַשָּׂטָן וּמוֹנֵעַ אֶת הָאָדָם בְּאָמְרוֹ לוֹ ׳מַה טַּעַם יֵשׁ בָּהּ׳, וְאִם בְּכָל זֹאת הָאָדָם הוֹלֵךְ וּמְקַיֵּים אֶת הַמִּצְוֹת הַלָּלוּ שֶׁהֵם חוֹק, וְעוֹשֶׂה אוֹתָם מִתּוֹךְ אַהֲבָה, עַל יְדֵי זֶה מִמֵּילָא בְּעֵת שֶׁהוּא בָּא לְקַיֵּים אֶת כָּל מִצְוֹת הַתּוֹרָה, אָז בְּוַדַּאי יָבוֹא לְקַיֵּים אוֹתָם מִתּוֹךְ שִׂמְחָה וּמִתּוֹךְ חַיּוּת כְּמוֹ דְּבָרִים גַּשְׁמִיִּים. וְזֶה הַכַּוָּונָה ׳אִם בְּחוּקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ׳, הַיְינוּ בְּאִם בְּעֵת שֶׁתֵּלְכוּ וְתַעֲשׂוּ הַחוּקִּים תַּעֲשׂוּם מִתּוֹךְ אַהֲבָה וְשִׂמְחָה, אָז תִּזְכּוּ לְ׳וְאֶת מִצְוֹתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ׳, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בִּבְחִינַת ״וְאָבִיו שָׁמַר אֶת הַדָּבָר״ (בראשית לז, יא) שֶׁתַּעַמְדוּ וּתְצַפּוּ אֵימָתַי תָּבוֹאוּ לְקַיֵּים אֶת הַמִּצְוֹת.
  1. Bereishis 37:11. Rashi there explains that Yaakov waited and looked forward to its coming. ↩
In shortDoing the reasonless chukim gladly trains a person to do every mitzvah with joy, and to wait eagerly for each one.
4This is what the Midrash means by “as though you had made yourselves”: as though you were giving yourselves over entirely to the Holy One, blessed be He, making yourselves ownerless before Him. When you come to fulfill the mitzvos, you are not thinking of yourselves; your whole aim is only to give the Creator nachas ruach, satisfaction, and you are not serving yourselves at all.
וְזֶהוּ כַּוָּונַת הַמִּדְרָשׁ ׳כְּאִילּוּ עֲשִׂיתֶם אֶת עַצְמְכֶם׳, הַיְינוּ כְּאִילּוּ אַתֶּם מַפְקִירִים אֶת עַצְמְכֶם לִפְנֵי הקב״ה, שֶׁבְּעֵת שֶׁאַתֶּם מַגִּיעִים לְקִיּוּם הַמִּצְוֹת אֵין אַתֶּם חוֹשְׁבִים לְמַעַן עַצְמְכֶם, אֶלָּא כָּל מַטְּרַתְכֶם הִיא רַק לַעֲשׂוֹת נַחַת רוּחַ לַבּוֹרֵא, וְאֵין אַתֶּם עוֹבְדִים אֶת עַצְמְכֶם כְּלָל.
In shortTo “make yourselves” is to give yourselves wholly over to Hashem, serving only for His satisfaction and never for your own sake.
5This lets us resolve the question the Rishonim, the early authorities, raise on the words “then I will give your rains in their season,” as the Kli Yakar cites:7 surely “there is no reward for a mitzvah in this world”!8 In light of what we have explained, we may say that this is so only when a person does the mitzvah not for the Creator's honor but to receive a reward. Our verse, however, speaks of one who does the mitzvah on such a level, giving himself over so completely, that he is privileged to be called “as though you had made yourselves.” As a matter of course, what he receives does not count as a reward: it is not considered his own wages at all, but part of the Creator's honor and part of His service. For this person has made himself as nothing before Hashem. He is like a soldier who stands in the king's house and carries out every order: all his needs are supplied generously by the king, for what is lacking in the king's house?
וּבָזֶה יֵשׁ לְיַישֵּׁב מַה שֶּׁהִקְשׁוּ הָרִאשׁוֹנִים (הובאו הכלי יקר כו, יד) עַל מַה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ׳וְנָתַתִּי גִשְׁמֵיכֶם בְּעִתָּם׳, הֲרֵי שְׂכַר מִצְוָה בְּהַאי עָלְמָא לֵיכָּא (קדושין לט, א). וּלְפִי הַמְּבוֹאָר יֵשׁ לוֹמַר, דְּזֶהוּ דַּוְקָא בְּעֵת שֶׁהָאָדָם אֵינֶנּוּ עוֹשֶׂה הַמִּצְוָה לִכְבוֹד הַבּוֹרֵא אֶלָּא עַל מְנָת לְקַבֵּל שָׂכָר, אֲבָל כָּאן דְּמַיְירֵי בְּעוֹשֶׂה הַמִּצְוָה בְּדַרְגָּא כָּזוֹ שֶׁהוּא מַפְקִיר עַצְמוֹ עַד שֶׁהוּא זוֹכֶה לְהִקָּרֵא כְּאִילּוּ עֲשִׂיתֶם עַצְמְכֶם כָּאָמוּר, מִמֵּילָא אֵין זֶה נֶחְשָׁב לְקִיבּוּל שָׂכָר, כֵּיוָן דְּאֵין זֶה חָשׁוּב כְּשָׂכָר שֶׁלּוֹ, אֶלָּא חֵלֶק מִכְּבוֹד הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרֵךְ וּכְחֵלֶק מֵעֲבוֹדָתוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהָאָדָם בִּיטֵּל עַצְמוֹ להשי״ת וַהֲרֵי הוּא כְּחַיָּיל הָעוֹמֵד בְּבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ וּמְקַיֵּים כָּל פְּקוּדּוֹתָיו, שֶׁכָּל צְרָכָיו נִיתָּנִים בְּהַרְחָבָה מֵאֵת הַמֶּלֶךְ, דִּכְלוּם חָסֵר מִבֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ.
  1. Kli Yakar on Vayikra 26:14 (in standard editions the discussion is on 26:12). ↩
  2. Kiddushin 39b (the sefer has 39a). ↩
In shortOne who has given himself over to Hashem receives the blessings not as wages but as a soldier's keep in the king's house.
6On this basis we can explain how the Midrash continues: “R' Acha said: ‘I considered’ the giving of reward for mitzvos and the loss caused by sins, ‘and I turned my feet back to Your testimonies.’”9 The Yismach Yisrael and the Tiferes Shmuel ask: did Dovid HaMelech serve the Creator in order to receive a reward? In light of what we have explained, we may say that Dovid HaMelech was taking stock of himself: how deeply does a mitzvah affect a person? A mitzvah brings holiness upon a person, so much that it changes him. A sin, Heaven forbid, does the opposite: besides being a transgression of the Creator's command, it affects the sinner's very body and corrupts it, Heaven forbid. That is what Dovid meant by considering “the giving of reward for mitzvos and the loss caused by sins”: he considered what mitzvos and sins do to a person. And so “I turned my feet back to Your testimonies,” to set his body right for avodas Hashem.
וְעַל פִּי זֶה יֵשׁ לְבָאֵר אֶת הֶמְשֵׁךְ דִּבְרֵי הַמִּדְרָשׁ הַנִּזְכָּר, רַבִּי אֲחָא אָמַר חִשַּׁבְתִּי מַתַּן שְׂכָרָן שֶׁל מִצְוֹת וְהֶפְסֵדָן שֶׁל עֲבֵירוֹת, וָאָשִׁיבָה רַגְלַי אֶל עֵדוֹתֶיךָ. וְהִקְשׁוּ בַּסְּפָרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים (ישמח ישראל, תפארת שמואל), וְכִי דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ עָבַד אֶת הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרֵךְ עַל מְנָת לְקַבֵּל פְּרָס. וּלְהַמְּבוֹאָר יֵשׁ לוֹמַר הַכַּוָּונָה בָּזֶה, שֶׁדָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ עָשָׂה לְעַצְמוֹ חֶשְׁבּוֹן הַנֶּפֶשׁ, עַד כַּמָּה הַמִּצְוָה מַשְׁפִּיעָה עַל הָאָדָם, כִּי הַמִּצְוָה מַשְׁפִּיעָה קְדוּשָּׁה עַל הָאָדָם עַד כְּדֵי שֶׁהִיא מְשַׁנָּה אוֹתוֹ, וּלְעוּמַּת זֶה בְּעֵת שֶׁהָאָדָם עוֹבֵר עֲבֵירָה ח״ו, אֲזַי חוּץ מִמַּה שֶׁעָבַר עַל מִצְוַת הַבּוֹרֵא, זֶה מַשְׁפִּיעַ גַּם עַל גּוּף הָאָדָם וּמַשְׁחִית אוֹתוֹ לְרַע ח״ו. וְזֶהוּ הַכַּוָּונָה שֶׁחִישֵּׁב מַתַּן שְׂכָרָן שֶׁל מִצְוֹת וְהֶפְסֵדָן שֶׁל עֲבֵירוֹת, דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁחִישֵּׁב מַה שֶׁמַּשְׁפִּיעִים הַמִּצְוֹות וְהָעֲבֵירוֹת עַל הָאָדָם, וְעַל כֵּן ׳וְאָשִׁיבָה רַגְלַי אֶל עֵדוֹתֶיךָ׳, בִּכְדֵי לְתַקֵּן אֶת גּוּפוֹ לַעֲבוֹדַת הַבּוֹרֵא.
  1. Vayikra Rabbah 35:1. ↩
In shortDovid's reckoning of “reward and loss” weighed how mitzvos sanctify a person and sins corrupt him, and it turned his feet to refine himself.
7aThis also lets us explain a Midrash:10 “When Israel received the Torah, the nations of the world were jealous of them: ‘Why should they be brought closer than the other nations?’ The Holy One, blessed be He, shut their mouths. He said to them, ‘Bring Me your book of lineage, as it says, “Render to Hashem, O families of the peoples,” as My children bring theirs …’ For Israel was privileged to receive the Torah only because of its lineage.” But what does lineage have to do with receiving the Torah?
וּלְפִי זֶה יֵשׁ לְבָאֵר דִּבְרֵי הַמִּדְרָשׁ (ילקוט שמעוני תרפד), בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁקִּבְּלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַתּוֹרָה נִתְקַנְּאוּ אוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם בָּהֶן מַה רָאוּ לְהִתְקָרֵב יוֹתֵר מִן הָאוּמּוֹת, סָתַם פִּיהֶן הקב״ה, אָמַר לָהֶן הָבִיאוּ לִי סֵפֶר יוּחֲסִין שֶׁלָּכֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״הָבוּ לַה׳ מִשְׁפְּחוֹת עַמִּים״ כְּשֵׁם שֶׁבָּנַי מְבִיאִין, וְכוּ׳, שֶׁלֹּא זָכוּ לִיטּוֹל אֶת הַתּוֹרָה אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל הַיּוּחֲסִין שֶׁלָּהֶן, ע״כ. וְצָרִיךְ לְהָבִין מַה עִנְיַן יִחוּס לְקַבָּלַת הַתּוֹרָה.
  1. Yalkut Shimoni, Bamidbar §684; Tehillim 96:7. ↩
7bThe answer is that only the people of Israel, whose root is good because they are the seed of Avraham, have the power to keep the whole Torah with joy, even its chukim. The nations of the world, who come from bad seed, can keep only what they understand; the chukim they mock, saying, “What reason is there in it?” As Rashi writes on the red heifer: “Because the Satan and the nations of the world taunt Israel, saying, ‘What is this mitzvah, and what reason is there in it?’”11 Since the nations cannot keep the chukim of the Torah, they have no part in receiving it, for at the giving of the Torah all the mitzvos were given, the chukim among them. So they have no connection to keeping and learning the Torah. That is what the Holy One, blessed be He, was telling the nations: since they had no book of lineage and their root was bad, He could not give them the Torah, for they would certainly not keep it.
אֶלָּא דְּרַק עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁשָּׁורְשָׁם הוּא טוֹב בַּאֲשֶׁר הֵם מִזֶּרַע אַבְרָהָם, לָהֶם יֵשׁ אֶת הַכֹּחַ לְקַיֵּים אֶת כָּל הַתּוֹרָה וַאֲפִילּוּ אֶת חֵלֶק הַחוּקִּים שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה בְּשִׂמְחָה, אֲבָל לְאוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהֵם מִזֶּרַע רַע אֵין בִּיכָלְתָּם לְקַיֵּים רַק אֶת מַה שֶׁהֵם מְבִינִים, אַךְ עַל הַחוּקִּים הֵם מְלַגְלְגִים וְאוֹמְרִים מַה טַּעַם יֵשׁ בָּהּ, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב רש״י (במדבר יט, ב) לְפִי שֶׁהַשָּׂטָן וְאוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם מוֹנִין אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לוֹמַר מַה הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת וּמַה טַּעַם יֵשׁ בָּהּ, וּמִכֵּיוָן שֶׁאֵין בִּיכָלְתָּם לְקַיֵּים חֵלֶק הַחוּקִּים שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה, מִמֵּילָא אֵין לָהֶם שַׁיָּיכוּת לְקַבָּלַת הַתּוֹרָה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁבְּקַבָּלַת הַתּוֹרָה נִיתְּנוּ כָּל הַמִּצְוֹות כּוֹלֵל הַחוּקִּים, וְעַל כֵּן אֵין לָהֶם שַׁיָּיכוּת לְקִיּוּם וְלִימּוּד הַתּוֹרָה. וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר לָהֶם הקב״ה דְּכֵיוָן שֶׁאֵין לָכֶם סֵפֶר יוּחֲסִין וְשׁוֹרְשְׁכֶם רַע, אִם כֵּן אִי אֶפְשָׁר לִיתֵּן לָכֶם הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁהֲרֵי בְּוַדַּאי לֹא תְּקַיְּימוּהָ.
  1. Rashi on Bamidbar 19:2 (the sefer has 19:1). ↩
In shortOnly Avraham's descendants can keep even the reasonless chukim with joy; nations that scoff at them could never keep the Torah, so lineage matters.
8May Hashem grant that we be truly privileged to receive the Torah with wholehearted simplicity and to give the Creator satisfaction, and in this way to fulfill the whole Torah and bring near the coming of the Redeemer. Amen, may it be His will.
יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה בֶּאֱמֶת לְקַבֵּל הַתּוֹרָה מִתּוֹךְ תְּמִימוּת, וְלַעֲשׂוֹת נַחַת רוּחַ לְהַבּוֹרֵא, וּבָזֶה נִזְכֶּה לְקַיֵּים אֶת כָּל הַתּוֹרָה, וּנְקָרֵב בִּיאַת הַגּוֹאֵל, אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן.
In shortMay we receive the Torah wholeheartedly, give Hashem satisfaction, keep all of it, and bring the Redeemer near.
Takeaway

The zeal we bring to worldly affairs can be turned toward Torah and mitzvos, and the training ground is the chukim: doing gladly what we do not understand teaches us to meet every mitzvah with eagerness. When we serve with no thought of ourselves, we “make ourselves” over to Hashem, and the good He sends us is a soldier's keep in the King's house, not a wage.

Learn this in the merit of Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz. His yahrzeit and life ›

All of Lehavas David

English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.