“אֶת-הַבְּרָכָה
אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל-מִצְוֹת ה' אֱ-לֹהֵיכֶם .../The blessing, that
you will listen to the mitzvos of God your Lord …” (Devarim 11:27) The simple meaning of the words implies that
the blessing is mitzvah observance.
Conventionally, though, blessing is the result of mitzvah observance. In fact, this is how Rashi[1] understands the pasuk, “The
blessing is on the condition that you listen …” The Sfas Emes, however, explains the pasuk
according to the simple meaning. He
bases his understanding of the pasuk on a Midrash[2] in our parsha.
In Mishlei a lamp is used as a metaphor for both the Torah
and mitzvos on the one hand and the soul on the other hand. “כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה וְתוֹרָה אוֹר .../For a mitzvah is a
lamp and Torah is light …” (Mishlei 6:23) Here Shlomo HaMelech compares mitzvos to a lamp and the
Torah to the lamp’s light. In another
pasuk in Mishlei we find, “נֵר
ה' נִשְׁמַת אָדָם .../Man’s soul is the lamp of God …” (Mishlei
20:27) According to the Midrash God
says, “My lamp is in your hands and your lamp is in My hands.” If we protect and keep His lamp, He will protect
and keep our lamp.
The Sfas Emes develops this metaphor further. He explains that the Torah is the mechanism
through which God gives life to every thing in existence including our
actions. The spiritual life-giving force
flows out of the Torah into every thing and action in the Creation. It is hidden, though. We have an obligation to reveal this inner
spirituality which pervades everything.
We do this by performing the mitzvos.
The Sfas Emes teaches that every action is a potential mitzvah depending
on our intent when we act. The metaphor
of a lamp is exact. When the Midrash
says that God’s lamp is in our hands, it means that we are able to and required
to light the lamp. This happens when we
observe the mitzvos. Every act, if done
with the intent to serve God, unleashes and reveals the latent spiritual light
inherent in the act. The revelation of
spiritual light is itself the blessing.
It heightens our awareness of God, the ultimate Blessing. This is the exact meaning of the pasuk, “אֶת-הַבְּרָכָה אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְעוּ
אֶל-מִצְוֹת/The blessing: that you will listen to the mitzvos …”
