Break Out While Remaining In

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High Holidays
In this week's parsha, Ki Savo, we have the command, "V'halachta b'drachav, and you should go in His ways." The Rambam counts this as one of the 613 mitzvahs, and he explains the mitzvah as follows, "to emulate Hashem according to your ability." In other words, we should act as Hashem acts, as the Rambam brings the words of our sages, "Just as Hashem is called Beneficent, so should you be beneficent, just as Hashem is called Compassionate, so should you be compassionate, just as Hashem is called Pious, so should you be pious." 

The Rambam sets out the guidelines as to what is to go in the count of mitzvahs, and he explains, that a general statement such as, "You should keep My statutes," and "You should be holy," are not tallied in the count of mitzvahs, because they are general ideas that apply to all mitzvahs, and they do not have a specific idea that separates them from other mitzvahs. 

So a mitzvah needs specifics, in order to be a mitzvah of its own. The mitzvah of, "You should go in His ways," sounds like a general idea that should applied to everything, and not a specific idea of its own. Why is it included in the count of mitzvahs? 

We must conclude that there is a specific detail that separates it from other mitzvahs. What is that detail? In other words, what exactly is the mitzvah of, "You should go in His ways"? 

The mitzvah, "You should go in His ways," is that when you do a mitzvah, "you should go." Going means that you are not in the same place where you started. It is possible to do a mitzvah, and remain the exact same person that you were before the mitzvah. "You should go," means that you should you do mitzvahs in a way that you are changed because of them. It should take you out of your present state, and lift you higher, on to a new spiritual plane. 

And how does one do a mitzvah in a way that it will actually change him? By doing the mitzvah, because it is "His ways," Hashem's ways. He does it to "emulate Hashem," and because of that, it has a very powerful effect on him, it changes him, he "goes" to another plane. 

You may ask: Isn't a mitzvah alone enough to change a person? It is true, whenever you do a mitzvah, it has an affect on you, even if you do it in the least meaningful way, but it is not going to move you out of your present state, and lift you to an entire new level. 

There is a verse, "I have made you travelers amongst these who are standing." It is explained, that even though angels and soul up in heaven can see G-dliness, they are called "standing," because they are in their place, and they can't go to a entire new plane. The souls do go higher and higher, but even so, they remain in the same basic program, not able to break out of it completely and go to a different plane, therefore they are called "standing." Us, on the other hand, Neshamas in a body, have the ability to go completely out of our present state, and reach a new plane. This is an infinite leap out of his present boundaries of spirituality. This is possible because he does the mitzvah in a "beyond boundaries" kind of way. Then he is a "traveler." And we can do this over and over again. 

This brings up a few questions. We, as all creations in this world, are limited beings. How can a limited being break out of its limitations? And even if we could, how do we do it while still retaining our status as limited beings? 

That is why it says that you should go "in His ways," because when you do it this way, you are connecting with Hashem, and because He is infinite and the ultimate enigma, conflicting opposites can exist within Him. Therefore, us limited beings, by connecting with Him, are able to have conflicting opposites as well. We can remain limited and at the same time, be infinite. 

This sounds nice, but at the end of the day, it is not really us that is doing it, but Hashem. We are just connecting to Him and He is doing the rest. However, what Hashem really wants, is that every elevation should come through our work. This elevation should also come through our own efforts, otherwise it is a handout from above. When we don't earn things through our own efforts, and it is given to us, it is called "bread of shame." How is it possible for us to do it ourselves? 

This is how it works. Every Jewish person has a neshama, a G-dly soul, which is "truly a part of Hashem." That means that the essence of our souls are infinite, and beyond any boundaries of existence. When we do a mitzvah, by tapping into the essence of our souls, we have the ability, on our own to completely break out of our present level, and go to an entirely new spiritual plane. 

How does one perform a mitzvah through tapping into his or her neshama? When you do a mitzvah through simple faith and self sacrifice, which means that it's not about you, rather, you are breaking out of yourself and tapping into your neshama. To put it in simple terms, you are doing the mitzvah with your neshama. This is how we can break all boundaries and "go in His ways," through our own efforts, and not have "bread of shame." 

That explains how it is that we are able to touch the infinite and break out. How is it possible, that we can do it while remaining limited beings?

The true source of the body's life is from the G-dly soul, but that source is hidden, because it comes through the animal soul to the body. Our job is to reveal the true source of the body's life, so that it is apparent that our actions come from the G-dly soul. Just as the person who wants to move a part of his body, it happens automatically, so too, he can reveal the G-dly soul as his true source of life, that his body automatically does the bidding of the G-dly soul. That is the way the body can "go in His ways," and remain as itself. So that the limited body reveals its source, the infinite soul.

The G-dly enigma, where conflicting opposites can exist within one, was seen in the Temple. In the Holy of Holies there stood the Ark of the Covenant, and while you could measure it, it was 1.5 cubits wide by 2.5 cubits long, but when you measured the space between it and the walls of the Holy of Holies, it didn't take up any room. The other place where it exists, is inside every Jew, as he or she is made up of a body and an animal soul that are limited, and a G-dly soul that is infinite, "it is truly a part of Hashem."

The truth is, that the whole world is from the G-dly source, but it is hidden. Our job is to reveal the G-dly essence of all of existence. And we can do it, because we have this enigma, a G-dly soul in a body, first we have to reveal our neshama, and then we reveal the G-dly essence of all existence.

However, not everyone is capable of getting their body to do the bidding of the G-dly soul automatically. How can every one of us tap into our neshamas?

To make this possible, there is an earlier commandment, "you should attach yourself to Him." The Rambam brings the words of the Sifri to explain this, "Attach yourself to the sages and to their students." These sages that the Rambam and the Sifri are talking about, are people who are completely nullified to Hashem, and because of that, G-dliness shines through them. When you attach yourself to them you are connected to the essence of Hashem, and your neshama is revealed.

The command of, "You should attach yourself to Him," is a general rule, and when you do the mitzvah of, "You should go in His ways," after the prerequisite of, "You should attach yourself to Him," it is a winning combination, and in this way everyone of us can "go" out of his present state and reach a new plane. This, of course, is all in conjunction with doing mitzvahs, because mitzvahs require action, and "action is most important.

Let us take our mitzvahs to the next level, by doing them in a truly transformative way, with our neshama, and break out of our current state, "going" in His ways. This will surely break us out of our present state of exile, and into the state of redemption. May it happen now.