Preparing for the Hislahavus of the Mitzvos
One aspect of preparation is to prepare the heart and emotions for the joy of the mitzvah.
The Yeshuos Moshe of Vizhnitz zt'l said that הכנה is gematriya ולב מח, mind and heart, indicating that one should first prepare his mind and heart with a desire to perform the mitzvos.
Reb Yechezkel Levinstein zt'l said that two people could perform the same mitzvah. Although they appear to be doing the same deed, they are as distant from each other as the East is from the West because it all depends on the intention of the heart.
The Yismach Yisrael of Alexander zt'l didn't want his chasidim to watch him light Chanukah lecht. There was one chasid who very much wanted to watch his Rebbe light Chanukah lecht, so he hid himself in one of the closets that were in his room. The chasid watched the Rebbe prepare himself for the mitzvah with a lot of hisorerus and hislahavus. But when the Rebbe lit the Chanukah lecht, it seemed very simple, like any average person would light Chanukah lecht. The chasid was surprised. After seeing the Rebbe's fiery hislahavus when he prepared for the mitzvah, he was sure there would be an even greater ecstasy when he lit the lamps, but it wasn't that way at all! He couldn't ask this question because he was hiding and wasn't supposed to be there! The next day, the Yismach Yisrael came over to him and said, "A person can arouse himself before he performs the mitzvah, but when he performs the mitzvah, the hisorerus is from Above, and it isn't in the person's hands anymore." Generally, when one prepares himself before the mitzvah, Hashem will bestow on him hislahavus and deveikus, but what can he do if he doesn't receive it? He will then perform the mitzvah like a regular, simple person.
Chazal say (Avos 4:2) מצוה גוררת מצוה, one mitzvah leads to another mitzvah. Rebbe Yitzchak of Radvil (Yalkut Or Yitzchak, Avos 4) zt'l asks that when a person puts on tefillin in the morning, that mitzvah should lead to the next mitzvah and many others. So, why don't we see people becoming tzaddikim? Why do we sometimes see that immediately after taking off the tefillin, he becomes busy with matters of this world and forgets to study Torah and the like?
He replies, "If a person put on tefillin with hislahavus, the mitzvah would have an effect on him." The problem is that the mitzvah is performed without preparation and excitement; therefore, it doesn't change him. He doesn't have the segulah of מצוה מצוה גוררת.
The Mishnah also states עבירה גוררת עבירה, that one aveirah leads to the next one. Unfortunately, that part of the Mishnah we can testify to. We see it happening all the time. People ask, why do we see that one aveirah leads to more aveiros, but we don't see that one mitzvah leads to other mitzvos? But the answer is as we wrote above. If he performs the mitzvos with the hislahavus that people do aveiros, they will also see that one mitzvah leads to many others.
During the days that England ruled over Eretz Yisrael, English officials came to Reb Aryeh Levine zt'l and told him that prisoners in Acco wanted him to come to them to put on tefillin before they were executed. (Reb Aryeh Levine wore tefillin all day long. He would often go to prisons to give them chizuk.) Reb Aryeh Levine arrived and gave the prisoners tefillin to put on. When they performed this mitzvah, which would be their last mitzvah, they cried copiously. Reb Aryeh Levine would repeat this episode and say how he learned from them how to put on tefillin. It should be with deveikus, as if this was the last time he could wear tefillin.
Preparing to Receive the Kedushah
The Or HaChaim (Shemos 19:3) writes, לך ויש אותה למזמין אלא תקיים לא הקדושה בחינת כי לדעת, "You need to know that kedushah only comes when it is prepared." This is hinted at in the Torah when it states (Shmos 19:3) אל עלה ומשה ההר מן 'ה אליו ויקרא ...האלקים, Moshe Rabbeinu went up on the mountain. He did his hishtadlus, and then he merited kedushah. Hashem called to him and taught him the Torah. We see that even Moshe Rabbeinu had to do his hachanos (preparations). If Moshe Rabbeinu needed to do so, and he is called by Chazal (Bereishis Rabba 11:4) אלקים מחציתו, half G-dly, certain simple people like us need to prepare ourselves to receive kedushah.
It states (Shmos 33:11) פנים אל פנים משה אל 'ה ודבר רעהו את איש ידבר כאשר, "On this pasuk, as well, the Or HaChaim tells us the importance of preparing for the mitzvos. He writes, "The pasuk is telling us that according to the extent that Moshe prepared to greet the Shechinah, that is the extent of perception that he received from Above. This is because in accordance with the amount that one prepares for kedushah, that is the extent that he will receive."
The Maor v'Shamesh explains that a person has to do his part to come close to Hashem, and then Hashem reciprocates and bestows much shefa from above. Moshe went up to the mountain; he did his part to come close to Hashem, and this is called דלתתא איתערותא, arousal from below. And then will come דלעילא אתערותא, an arousal from Above."
