On a practical level, connecting with the essence of a mitzvah entails having in mind the following: “What am I about to do?! I am going to do something now—not because I have the desire to do it, but because I want to be a loyal servant to the Ribbono shel Olam and His Torah.
The Aibishter commanded me, and therefore I will do it.” Nadav and Avihu lacked this, as we have noted.
Concludes the Sfas Emes: We see from here that when a Yid fulfills a mitzvah that the Ribbono shel Olam commanded him to do, he can attain tremendous chiyus from the command of Hashem.
If people can be taken from the world because there was no command, then we can surely be given life and kirvas Elokim when we meditate upon the fact that we’re carrying out the ratzon Hashem. This alone can give us the primary chiyus, as we think about the essence of the mitzvah.
