IN THE PARSHA:
In פרשת פינחס we learn about the laws of יְרוּשָׁה, inheritance.
The רמב"ם lists the מצוה of ירושה as the last of the 248 מצוות עשה.
QUESTION:
The first מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה is to believe in Hashem.
This makes sense, because belief in Hashem is the foundation of all other מצוות.
But why did the רמב"ם choose to complete the list of the מצוות עשה with the מצוה of ירושה?
ANSWER:
A person might own something because they bought it.
A person might own something because someone gave it to them as a gift.
However, a son inherits his father automatically. He doesn’t have to do anything to earn it, nor does his father have to gift it to him, because the son is one with his father.
Similarly, our connection with Hashem has 3 dimensions:
- נוּקֵלֵחֵבֵהֵטוֹמֵֵינוּרֵשֵאֵ – We are fortunate! How good is our portion!
Like someone who buys something, there is the connection with Hashem that we earn through our עבודה. - נוּלֵרֵגוֹיםֵעֵהֵנֵמֵוּ – How pleasant is our lot!
Like someone who receives a gift, there is the connection that we have with Hashem because He chose us. - וּנתֵשֵרוּהֵיֵפֵהֵיֵמֵוּ – How beautiful is our inheritance!
There is the essential connection that we have with Hashem, not as a reward for what we do, or because He chose us, but rather, because we are one with Him.
The רמב"ם concludes the list of מצוות עשה with the מצוה of ירושה because this מצוה represents our most complete and perfect connection with Hashem.
Further discussion:
Which 3 time periods in history reflect these 3 aspects of our connection to Hashem? (See אות ט in the שיחה)
