ספר ויקרא

B"H From Parashat B'hukotai

In the midrash "'I have considered my ways.' Every day, I would calculate and say: I am going to this place and that residence, but my legs would take etc." For in every thing and in every place, there exists the life-force of God, may He be blessed. However, while the life-force specifically resides in, and is clothed in, different places in different ways, inside it is all one and the same.  And this is the relevance of the "ways" in the verse, which are normally dangerous -- when the person is referred to [by the midrash] as "going," it means that the person is drawing His life-force, may He be blessed, into every thing and in every place, as described above, through deliberating before every matter.  In this manner, the person can find a true core-point in every thing. "Your decrees" (eidotecha) means "clarification," for a person must be a witness (eid) to make clear and to testify that everything comes from God, may He be blessed, as described above. "Synagogues" (batei k'neisiyot) -- the meaning is to bring everyone inside (l'hachnis) the totality, so that no one is left apart from the source of life-force, which gives life to everything, as described above. The [necessary] will from a person is the true subsuming of all intelligence and knowledge into the will of God, may He be blessed. This, even though initially it comes about through calculation and reasoned analysis. And this is what is meant by "I have considered my ways." Throughout, the goal must be to cleave in this manner to the Supreme Will, to subsume intelligence to Him, though this comes about through knowledge and calculation, as described above. And this is what is meant by [walking] "b'hukotai" [specifically in those of My laws that are not humanly understandable] -- -- that you should labor in Torah, not with the intent of the studying being to know or to comprehend, but rather so that one can dissolve and be subsumed in Him, as is appropriate, and to desire always to come near to that which one does not comprehend. And this, the constant striving in Torah to nullify oneself and subsume knowledge to that which is beyond comprehension. And in this way, one comprehends more, in order to nullify oneself more. This is laboring in Torah.

The Chidushei Harim explained the Midrash about David HaMelech’s feet taking him to houses of prayer and study, in line with the Mishna (Avot 1:14): “If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if not now, when? Yet when I am for myself, what am I?” Each person has a unique mission that only they can accomplish, and each moment has its specific purpose. However, the phrase "when I am for myself, what am I" indicates that the main goal is to nullify one's work for the sake of Hashem and Klal Yisrael. This explains David's words, “my feet would bring me to the houses of prayer and study,” signifying that even with a specific intention and mission, he reached a state of nullification, allowing him to be directed to the correct place. The connection to the parsha of Bechukotai is that one who seeks not for personal gain but to be nullified to Hashem can only achieve this through nullification to Klal Yisrael.

The Mishna (Avot 5:1) states, “With ten utterances the world was created. And what does this teach, for surely it could have been created with one utterance? But this was so in order to punish the wicked who destroy the world created with ten utterances, and to give a good reward to the righteous who maintain the world created with ten utterances.” There is a difficulty: if it is easier to serve Hashem with these ten utterances, why do we need the reason of rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked? The explanation is that each utterance of Hashem has something uniquely hidden. The righteous, by maintaining the world created with ten utterances, clarify and testify that all life force comes from these utterances. The term “mekayamim” (maintain) is akin to “Kiyum shtar” (validating a document), meaning they testify to the truth of the ten utterances, affirming that everything exists through Hashem.The concept of “ma’amar” (utterance) involves drawing and connecting to the source of life force. As stated in Devarim 26:18, “Hashem has affirmed you,” indicating oneness and connection (see Berachot 6a).