English translation — בחוקותי

In My statutes<pg>79</pg>

A.

On the verse<sup>1</sup>

And the land will give its produce, the Sages of blessed memory expounded in Toras Kohanim: "Not in the way that it was doing now, but in the way that it does in the days of Adam the first,

And from where that the land is destined to be sown and produce fruits on its day? The verse says<sup>2</sup>

He has made a memorial for His wonders, and so it says<sup>3</sup>

Let the earth sprout grass, herb, teaching that on the same day that it was sown, on that same day it produces fruits, and the tree of the field will give its fruit<sup>1</sup>

Not in the way that it is doing now, but in the way that it did in the days of Adam the first..

On the same day that it is planted, on that same day it produces fruits<sup>4</sup>,

From where that the tree is destined to be eaten? The verse says<sup>3</sup>

Tree of fruit,

If to teach that it makes fruit, but is it not already stated<sup>3</sup>

Making fruit,

If so, why is it said 'tree of fruit'? Rather, just as the fruit is eaten, so too the tree is eaten,

And from where that even non-fruit trees are destined to produce fruits? The verse says: 'And the tree of the field will give its fruit.'"

And behold this content,

in the wonder of miracles and virtues that will be in the future in the physicality of the world,

we find in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, in many places<sup>5</sup>,

and for example in Tractate Ketubot<sup>6</sup>

"In the future, the Land of Israel will produce fine loaves and silk garments..

In the future, a grain of wheat will grow tall like a palm tree and rise to the top of mountains..

In the future, a grain of wheat will be like the two kidneys of a large ox" and the like.

And it is necessary to understand: In the description of the state in the future, the Rambam wrote<sup>7</sup>

"And the occupation of the entire world will be only to know God alone,

and therefore Israel will be great sages and know hidden matters and will comprehend the knowledge of their Creator according to the capacity of man, as it is said<sup>8</sup>

For the earth will be filled with knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea",

and it is understood,

that when the Children of Israel will be in such a state, there is no importance to the physical miracles and wonders mentioned above that will be in the fruits of the land

(and in the language of the Rambam<sup>9</sup>

"And all delicacies will be abundant as dust").

And even though it is understood that there is benefit in these things,

for when "the good will be greatly influenced"<sup>10</sup>

this is a means "so that they will be

(Israel)

free in Torah and its wisdom and they will have no oppressor or disturber"<sup>11</sup>,

nevertheless,

why did our Sages elaborate so much on the virtue of the physical delicacies that will be in the future,

as if it is something particularly special and elevated in itself?

B.

And behold, similar to this question the commentators asked¹²

regarding the reward of commandments explained in our portion,

"If in My statutes you walk and My commandments you keep and do them — then I will give your rains etc.",

and the verse elaborates on the details of the reward of the commandments,

most of which are physical matters,

and behold<pg>80</pg>

The main perfection of reward is spiritual benefit and good,

which is the true good and benefit.

And in the commentaries&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;

they explained according to the opinion of the Rambam&lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/sup&gt;,

"that all&lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt;

these rewards

(that are in our parshah)

are not the main reward and all etc. the good things mentioned here in this parshah are matters of removing the obstacles only, meaning that if you keep My commandments I will remove from you all the obstacles such as wars and illnesses and hunger and sorrow, in a manner that you can serve G‑d without any obstacle,

but the main reward of the World to Come is not mentioned here in order that&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;

he should serve his Creator for His sake and not because of that reward or from fear of punishment."

But according to the opinion of several commentators,

it speaks in this parshah about the reward for keeping the Torah and mitzvos.

And one must say,

that the reason that the reward that is explained in the verse is primarily physical promises,

is understood with the prior explanation of the question,

why the verse elaborates in describing the reward for the study of Torah and the fulfillment of the commandments,

and especially since the purpose of the service is service for its own sake,

"Do not be like servants who serve the master on condition of receiving a reward, but rather be like servants who serve the master not on condition of receiving a reward"¹⁷?

Rather,

because this service is a great service,

and as the Rambam wrote¹⁸

that "this level is a very great level and not every sage merits it",

but the beginning of service is service not for its own sake,

and as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said¹⁹

A person should always engage in Torah and commandments even if not for their own sake "therefore when teaching minors and women and all the common people, they teach them only to serve out of fear and in order to receive reward until their knowledge increases etc."²⁰.

And since the Torah speaks about the majority²¹,

and the study of Torah and the fulfillment of the commandments of the majority of the Jewish people is not "not on condition of receiving a reward",

therefore the reward for engaging in Torah and commandments is explained in the Torah and at length.

And just as it is regarding reward in general,

so it is also regarding the content of the reward: since most of Bnei Yisrael who are of this level, generally they have no desire for spiritual destinies and reward,

therefore²²

there is explained in the Torah primarily the physical reward and the physical destinies,

that in this every individual has comprehension and taste,

and this will spur them to the study of Torah and the fulfillment of the commandments.

And in this way it is to be explained also regarding the future to come,

that our Rabbis, of blessed memory, describe the time of the future to come with miracles and wonders in physicality that will be then²³,

because<pg>81</pg>

Also in the future to come, each one will not immediately attain a lofty comprehension in spiritual reward,

and certainly not the level of service for its own sake,

service out of love,

but even then there will be an order of ascents from strength to strength,

and a person is not born in the ultimate perfection in knowledge and comprehension of God and service out of love,

and therefore there is a need for physical miracles and wonders,

in order to precede and hasten him to the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos.

3.

But prima facie this explanation is somewhat forced²⁴,

for the portion of Bechukosai, as well as all the portions in the Torah in which the promise of reward for mitzvos is explained,

were said to all of Israel,

also to those who are on a lofty level in the service of God,

and according to the above it turns out,

that this portion does not pertain to those who have comprehension of spiritual reward,

and certainly not to those whose service is not for the sake of receiving a reward,

but only to one whose comprehension is only of physical good things,

and only this will hasten him to the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos.

And even though in general the Torah speaks about the majority,

it is more likely to explain it in a way that will be relevant to everyone.

And furthermore,

that certainly there is some lesson in this also for the minority.

Moreover: In the explanation of the verse "If in My statutes you will walk and My commandments you will keep and do them," our Sages of blessed memory explained²⁵

(and brought in Rashi)

that is "to be toiling in Torah",

and not only that, but the toil in Torah is in order to guard and fulfill,

and it is found,

that the main point of this verse refers to the study of Torah and fulfillment of the commandments not in the ordinary manner,

but in a lofty level of the study of Torah and fulfillment of the commandments,

study through toil,

and likewise guarding and fulfillment through toil.

And in particular according to what is explained in the books²⁶

in the explanation of "BeChukotai"

(in the manner of a hint)

that it is from the term engraving,

and that is that the study of Torah and the fulfillment of the commandments here is not only in a manner of toil and exertion simply,

but rather in a manner of engraving,

that the Torah and the commandments are engraved in his heart and in his entire essence.

And as the superiority of the letters of engraving over the letters of writing,

that not only are the letters of engraving more united with the stone in which they are engraved than the letters of writing with the parchment on which they are written,

but rather there is here no existence besides the stone in which the letters are engraved.

That is to say,

the study of Torah hinted at here is not only in a manner that the person and the Torah are like two things joined together,

but rather additionally,

that the person has no existence,

and his entire existence is the Torah that he studies.

And it is understood,

that for such a person whose study of Torah is in a manner of engraving,

also the commandments that he fulfills are in such a manner,

that they penetrate his entire existence.

And from all this it is understood,

that the discussion is about a most elevated level of the study of Torah and the fulfillment of the commandments — and if so it is simple that for him no thing occupies a place besides the Torah and the commandments,

and it is obvious — that not reward and physical promises,

and how is it possible that to a person on such a level in the service of G-d,

they say to him that because of this that "BeChukotai telechu ve'et mitzvotai tishmeru va'asitem otam"<pg>82</pg>

He will receive reward of "and I will give your rains in their time etc." and all the physical promises in physical matters etc.

4.

And one can say the explanation in this:

About the Torah it is said&lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt;

"It is your life and the length of your days",

And its explanation,

Not only that the Torah brings life to a person in this world and the World to Come,

But that it itself is the life of each and every one of Israel,

That is, regarding a Jewish person, the Torah is not an additional thing to his existence and one of the other details in his life,

But rather it is his essence and his very life&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;.

And now, a person&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;

Is divided into several parts,

And in general — head, body, and leg,

The head is the place of dwelling of his lofty faculties,

The intellect etc.,

And also the senses of sight and hearing etc.,

And the body is a vessel and dwelling for the emotions in it and the like,

While in the legs there is only the power of walking, which is the lowest power,

In which the superiority of man is not apparent.

However, all this is in relation to the particular faculties of a person,

But the essence of his soul-life,

Which is above the particular faculties,

Is found in the entire body equally,

From his head to his leg&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;.

And the reason of the matter,

because the vitality of the soul is the essence of the person,

and therefore it is found in every single point of the body equally.

[And according to the story of the Gemara&lt;sup&gt;31&lt;/sup&gt;

regarding the pleasure in the soul,

that it also affects the heel of the foot,

"Good news fattens the bone"&lt;sup&gt;32&lt;/sup&gt;.

Because pleasure is from the essence of the soul and therefore it is found and active in the entire person even to his heel].

And moreover: the proof and test whether a certain thing originates from the vitality which is the essence of the person,

is from this, that it comes to revelation not only in his lofty faculties,

but also in the lesser faculties, down to the heel of the foot.

— A kind of example of the matter: a person who contemplates a thing that brings about joy,

the proof of this, that the joy has penetrated his entire essence and he is truly joyful,

is when the joy is expressed not only in his thought and speech but also in his actions, up to dancing with the feet.

And so too with the other attributes, such as love and awe, or to distinguish, pain and the like.

—

And from this it will be understood also regarding this that the Torah is our life — that the revelation and expression of this that the Torah is the vitality and the entire essence of the person,

is when the Torah acts and influences not only on the matters of his soul,

spiritual and lofty matters,

but also on physical matters and on all his material matters that pertain to him:

If the reward for studying Torah for its own sake were only that he will merit spiritual levels and lofty matters³³,

there is not here a complete expression that the Torah is his entire existence,

because the reward is like a natural result from his engagement in Torah,

therefore<pg>83</pg>

It is spiritual reward in exchange for his spiritual service; but when physical goods are bestowed upon him because of his spiritual service in Torah and mitzvos,

"And I will give your rains in their time and the tree of the field etc.,"

then it is seen and evident that Torah and mitzvos are not only study and practice added onto his existence or at least only a detail in his existence,

but the Torah is his entire essence and vitality,

and therefore engaging in it brings good and benefit in all his affairs,

even in physical matters of this world.

And now the reason for the matter that the Torah is the vitality and essence of the person,

is because the Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, are entirely one³⁴,

and therefore,

just as the Holy One, blessed be He, is the true existence,

that from the truth of His existence all existences came into being³⁵,

that from Him came all the virtues and types of perfection in all of creation entirely,

so too it is regarding the Torah,

that it brings good and benefit in all existences entirely³⁶,

all types of benefit,

both spiritual and physical.

And based on this it is found,

that on the contrary,

specifically in the matter of physical reward it is emphasized that the Torah is in a manner of "Bechukotai" — from the term engraving,

that the Torah is engraved in him,

until it becomes his very existence.

5.

Based on the above is also explained the connection of the physical promises in the verses and the words of our sages regarding the future,

and like the above statements "on the same day that it is planted, on that same day it produces fruits",

"In the future the Land of Israel will produce fine bread and silk garments" and the like — because specifically this indicates the perfection of the state of the children of Israel in their study of Torah and fulfillment of their commandments:

This that in the time of the curse the matters of man come in a manner of toil and exertion,

and much time passes until they produce fruits,

whether in grasses or in fruits of the tree,

is only because of the sin of the Tree of Knowledge³⁷

that the state of the world descended,

"Cursed³⁸

is the ground for your sake; in sorrow shall you eat it etc. By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread etc.",

but rather because the material matters of the world are not "vessels" as it were for the influence of the Holy One, blessed be He.

And this means that even a person who studies Torah and fulfills commandments as is proper,

and all good is influenced to him also in his material needs,

this does not come immediately and at once,

because his material things are not united with their root in spirituality,

the influence of G‑d.

And this is the innovation that will be in the future to come in the days of Mashiach,

that there will not be an interruption between the action and the growth in materiality,

because in the future the material things will be in unity with their root and source — the word of G‑d.

And this distinction between the service in the manner of engraving and unification in this time and the innovation that will be in the future is understood through a parable of the distinction between engraving on the stone and engraving that is from side to side.

And as their distinction is explained&lt;sup&gt;39&lt;/sup&gt;,

that the letters of the engraving, for example in a precious stone, even though the letters are from its kind and within it of the stone,

nevertheless,

since these letters have a place of holding in the stone, they have a likeness and connection to the letters of writing&lt;sup&gt;40&lt;/sup&gt;,

that they also conceal somewhat,

they&lt;pg&gt;84&lt;/pg&gt;

darken the "purity" of the precious stone,

while letters engraved from side to side

(like the letters on the tablets&lt;sup&gt;41&lt;/sup&gt;)

have no place of holding and are completely separate from the letters of writing.

And so it is in the allegory&lt;sup&gt;42&lt;/sup&gt;

: when a certain thing is engraved in the person, analogous to letters engraved in a precious stone,

that is, it is engraved and penetrates within him

(not like letters of writing which are on the parchment)

but it does not penetrate into his actual essence,

so, just as with the person it is not his actual essence,

so it is also with the result of this,

that it is not in a manner that it penetrates into all his external matters; but when the commandments are engraved in the person from side to side,

which is his entire essence,

this penetrates and acts from side to side,

in all his powers and matters, even in all things of the world,

therefore it is seen and revealed also in the physicality of the world that there is no interruption between the person's action and the fruits that grow,

that the influence of the Holy One, blessed be He, is influenced immediately and instantly without any interruption at all.

And this matter will be revealed in the future to come, when the engraving of the tablets will be revealed,

as it is written&lt;sup&gt;43&lt;/sup&gt;

"engraved on the tablets",

and our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said&lt;sup&gt;44&lt;/sup&gt;

do not read "engraved" but "freedom",

freedom from the angel of death, etc.&lt;sup&gt;45&lt;/sup&gt;,

that this freedom will be in the future to come,

in the true and complete redemption through our righteous Messiah,

speedily in our days, literally.

(From sichos of the month of Shevat 5739)