Among the blessings mentioned in this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo, it is stated: “You shall be blessed when you come, and you shall be blessed when you depart (Devarim 28:6).”
Our Sages commented on this blessing: “If you spread your foot upon the poor and upon a mitzvah, ‘you shall be blessed when you come, and you shall be blessed when you depart,’ will be fulfilled upon you.” The meaning is that if one helps the poor and engages in matters of mitzvot, this blessing will be realized in one’s life.
However, the language of our Sages requires further explanation. First, “upon the poor” refers to the mitzvah of charity. What then is the addition of “and upon a mitzvah”—isn’t charity already included in a mitzvah? Secondly, the expression “you spread your foot” is not clear. In the context of feet, we would expect terms like walking or running, not spreading.
Head, Body, and Foot
The words of the Sages can be understood according to the inner depth contained within them. A person is generally divided into three parts: head, body, and foot. The head represents understanding, the body represents emotions, and the foot represents the power to act.
The mitzvot are also divided into these three categories. Some mitzvot are connected with understanding (head), such as the mitzvot of recognizing the greatness of the Creator, studying Torah, and so on. Some mitzvot are connected with emotion (body)—love of G-d, fear of G-d, love of fellow Jews, and the like. And some mitzvot are action oriented, performed through acceptance of Divine authority (foot).
Unlimited Power
Understanding and emotion are limited. There is a boundary to the capacity for understanding and feeling. However, acceptance of the yoke of Heaven, Divine authority, is not limited. Acceptance of the yoke of Heaven, in its very essence, has no boundaries. A person who accepts the yoke of Heaven commits to doing everything G-d commands, without limitation or measure.
This is the meaning of the expression “you spread your foot.” Spreading symbolizes unlimited expansion. Such expansion can occur only through the foot—in the practical fulfillment of mitzvot through acceptance of Divine authority. When the foot acts according to the measure of understanding and emotion, its action is limited to the measure of understanding and emotion; but when it acts out of acceptance of Divine authority, here there is spreading, unlimited expansion.
The Poor in Mind
But how can a person of understanding set aside their intellect and emotions and act in complete acceptance of the yoke of Heaven with no limits? Regarding this it says: “upon the poor.” When a person reflects on their state, they realize they are poor, poor in knowledge, and therefore cannot rely solely on their intellect and emotions. Rather, they must act in a state of “spreading their foot” over every mitzvah, especially the mitzvah of charity.
The reward for this is: “You shall be blessed when you come, and you shall be blessed when you depart.” “When you come” refers to the spiritual awakening granted from Above before the work, which gives one the power to perform it. “When you depart” refers to the spiritual awakening received after one acts with one’s own strength. A Jew thus receives higher powers that assist in every area where he acts, along with a straightforward blessing in all that is needed both physically and spiritually.
(Adapted from the teachings of the Rebbe, Torat Menachem, Vol. 23; Likutei Sichot, Vol. 2)
