In this week’s parsha is included the directive to walk in G-d’s ways. This Sicha explains exactly how it is possible that a mere mortal can emulate the ways of G-d.
This week’s parsha expresses that man follow in the ways of G-d. The verse states:
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The Lord will establish you as His holy people as He swore to you, if you observe the commandments of the Lord, your G-d, and you shall walk in His ways.
Devarim 28:9
Rambam enumerates this as one of the 613 commandments and explains that “we are commanded to emulate G-d, blessed be He, to the best of our ability.” He continues by elucidating that “The source of this commandment is G-d's statement (exalted be He), "And you shall walk in His ways.”
In his book of Mishna Torah, Rambam describes this law further, stating:
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We are commanded to walk in these intermediate paths - and they are good and straight paths - as [Devarim 28:9] states: "And you shall walk in His ways." ... [Our Sages] taught [the following] explanation of this mitzvah: “Just as He is called ‘Gracious,’ you shall be gracious; Just as He is called ‘Merciful,’ you shall be merciful; Just as He is called ‘Holy,’ you shall be holy;” In a similar manner, the prophets called G-d by other titles: "Slow to Anger," "Abundant in Kindness," "Righteous," "Just," "Perfect," "Almighty," "Powerful," and the like. [They did so] to inform us that these are good and just paths. A person is obligated to accustom himself to these paths and [to try to] resemble Him to the extent of his ability.
Rambam, De’ot 1:5-6
This mitzvah is a curious one however, as Rambam already explained an idea elsewhere, which seems to preclude reckoning the concept of emulating G-d as a commandment amongst the 613 mitzvot:
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It is not proper to count the general commandments that incorporate the entirety of the Torah [amongst the 613 commandments]. There are commandments and injunctions in the Torah that are not in a specific thing but rather include all of the mitzvot. As if it says, “Do all that I commanded you to do,” or “Do not do all that I prohibited.”...It does not make sense to include such a commandment as a separate command, as there is no specific action to include it as a positive commandment or specific action that is prohibited to include it as a negative commandment.
Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvot, Shoresh 4
Seemingly, it would appear that this commandment of emulating G-d’s ways is as well a general commandment, which therefore should exclude it from being mentioned amongst the 613 commandments. For, although the verse does express specific directives to follow, of “Just as He is called ‘Gracious,’ you shall be gracious; Just as He is called ‘Merciful,’ you shall be merciful; Just as He is called ‘Holy,’ you shall be holy;” in truth, the mitzvah is much broader than that. The essence of the mitzvah is as Rambam explains, “[to try to] resemble Him to the extent of his ability,” which, in truth, includes all the mitzvot.
The Medrash explains regarding this idea as well:
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[The verse states] (Tehillim 147:19) “He tells His words to Yaakov, His statutes and His judgments to Israel...” For the attributes of G-d are not like a mortal. A mortal instructs others to do, yet he does not do anything. G-d, however, is not like that. Rather, what He does He tells Israel to do and to guard.
Shemot Rabba 30:9
This seems to express that the commandment of emulating G-d’s ways is not a specific mitzvah but a general one. Nevertheless, Rambam still enumerates it amongst the 613 commandments.
Something Novel
From the fact that Rambam does indeed include it as one of the specific 613 commandments, notwithstanding the clause that a general commandment is not included amongst the 613 commandments, it must be because there is something specific in this commandment that is not found in other commandments. Because of this novelty, it is counted among the rest of the mitzvot.
This is similar to what Rambam explains concerning the commandment, “And you shall serve G-d, your Lord.” Though this seems to be a general precept, it is nevertheless included in the listing of the commandments:
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The 5th mitzvah is that we are commanded to serve G-d (blessed be He). This commandment is repeated many times: “And you shall serve G-d, your L-rd;” "And you shall serve Him;" "And to serve Him." Although this commandment is of a general nature, as explained in the Fourth Principle, [and apparently should not be included in the count of the 613 mitzvot,] nevertheless it has a specific quality since it is the commandment to pray.
Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Commandment 5
In a similar fashion that the novelty of the commandment, “And you shall serve G-d, your L-rd,” is that it adds the directive to pray, so too with the commandment to “walk in His ways.” There is something that is unique in this commandment which causes that it should be counted amongst the rest of the mitzvot.
Walking
The verse states, “walk in His ways.” What is specific in this directive, which is not found in other commandments, is that the manner that a person is to emulate G-d is in a way of “walking.” A person can do mitzvot, yet stay stationary—not making any advancement in their service of G-d. Concerning this tendency comes the commandment, “walk in His ways.” The manner in which a person fulfills the mitzvot should be in a way that the mitzvot transport him from one state to the next. Instead of being immobile, he should constantly be progressing in his service of G-d.
The means by which a person reaches the level of “walking” and progressing is when he realizes that the mitzvot are “His ways.” When he performs the mitzvot because they are “His ways,” and his focus in fulfilling them is to “emulate G-d,” then the mitzvot will affect that his entire identity be transformed. Although true that mitzvot do cause a person to become more refined, even when he does not fulfill them with the intent of walking in G-d’s ways, and even when he does them completely without proper intent, nevertheless, that refinement is unrecognizable in the person in a clear way. Yet, when a person performs the commandments with the explicit intent of emulating G-d, then the transformation that is caused through the fulfillment of the mitzvot is readily apparent.
Souls and Angels
This idea can better be comprehended through understanding the Chassidic explanation of the following verse:
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So said the Lord of Hosts: “If you walk in My ways, and if you keep My charge, you too shall judge My house, and you too shall guard My courtyards, and I will give walkers among these who stand.
Zecharya 3:7
Concerning this, it is explained in Chassidic thought that the quality of “walkers” is something specific to the souls of the Jewish people when they come into this world.
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It is known that angels are referred to as “standers,” as the verse (Yeshayahu 6:2) states, “Seraphim stood.” So too, souls prior to their arrival to this world are as well called “standers,” as the verse (I Melachim 17:1) states, “As the Lord, the G-d of Israel, whom I stand before, lives.” Only after the soul comes down to this world and is enclothed in a body and an animal soul, is it referred to as a “walker.”
Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 30a
It is explained in Chassidic thought, that in truth, the idea of standing does not negate advancement in one’s spiritual level. For, although angels and souls—before they become enclothed in corporeality—do indeed advance in their spiritual levels, they are nevertheless not referred to as “walkers.”
The reason for this being that all of their development is systematic and orderly—and therefore limited. No matter what heights they may attain, it is considered as if they are at a standstill, as they never uproot themselves from the level on which they were previously at. The higher level is merely building on the preceding one. As such, no matter how high a spiritual level they attain, they are intrinsically connected to their original level. It is for this reason that they are referred to as “standers.”
Conversely, the concept of “walkers” that the soul achieves when it becomes enclothed in a corporeal body expresses ascents that are not related to the previous levels that one was at. A human being is able to completely extract himself from one level and bring himself to a height that has no association whatsoever to the situation and level on which he was previously holding. From this it is understood, that the meaning of the commandment to “walk in His ways” is such that the person’s fulfillment of mitzvot should be in a manner that through them he should reached the infinite. When a person makes the shift between finite and infinite, it is then that he is truly called a “walker.”
Man and the infinite
This idea though, that a mortal can reach the infinite, seems problematic. A human being is intrinsically limited and therefore:
A) How can man, through his own service of G-d—which is by definition limited—reach a manner of serving G-d that is infinite?
B) If man can indeed reach a level of the infinite, how can he be on one hand infinite and on the other remain a limited creation? Once he reaches the infinite, he should logically cease being finite.
Truly, it is indeed impossible for a finite creature to reach the infinite through a finite service of G-d, and together with reaching infinity, remain finite. Achieving the impossible however, is within the jurisdiction of G-d, Who is not limited by rational conundrums. G-d is able to connect the finite and the infinite together, so that man can remain a finite being while still reaching the infinite.
It is for this reason that that the verse states that one shall “walk in His ways,” as, in order to reach the true level of “walking,” one must connect to the essence of G-d, which is not limited by any limitations whatsoever. Through walking in His ways man is able to
A) Serve G-d in a finite way and nevertheless reach the infinite.
B) Reach the infinite and still remain a finite creation.
This is all possible because he has connected to G-d through “walking in His ways,” and is therefore not restricted to the rules of normal logic and limitations.
The service of man
What is left to be understood is that based on the above, it seems that it is not man serving G-d, but that G-d uplifts man to a level that he would not be able to accomplish on his own. Yet, G-d desires that we accomplish on our own and not eat “bread of shame” that has been given to us by others. How can reaching the infinite be considered man’s accomplishment, when he can only attain this through the means of G-d raising him to this level?
