Rambam in his book Sefer HaMitzvot lists the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. Each mitzvah and mitzvah is a particular teaching of G-d, such as: “Keep the Shabbat day”, “Honor your father and your mother”, etc. In the Torah there are also general teachings, such as: "You will keep the mitzvot" or "You will be holy." But these teachings are not listed by the Rambam as mitzvot among the 613. In our parashah there appears a general command: "And you shall walk in his ways," which the Rambam counts as a mitzvah in itself. What is the reason for this difference and what can we learn from it for our daily service to HaShem?
The command "and you shall walk in His ways" is apparently a general instruction. A Jew must imitate HaShem with all his possibilities in all his ways. But what is new is that precisely this general command the Rambam counts as a mitzvah in itself. The novelty is hidden in the word "Vehalachtah" (and you will walk). The Jew must "walk." Sometimes the Jew performs a certain mitzvah and remains so, in the same situation that he was before, without advancing and without rising spiritually. The instruction here is that the Jew who performs the mitzvot in this way should strive in them by moving forward, "walking," as when he is going materially, from where he is to a totally new place.
How to perform the mitzvot in the "walk" way? Through “His ways”, the Jews fulfill all the mitzvot because it is the way of the Holy One, blessed is He, and in each mitzvah they try to imitate G-d, thus all the mitzvot make them to “go”, advance and be elevated with the mitzvot that they fulfill. This influence will penetrate, act and correct the path of the whole world, it will hasten the arrival of the true and complete geulah, and we will deserve to see the profound influence and luminosity of each mitzvah we perform.
