Growth Through Mitzvos and the Lesson of the Mishkan Beams

קול רם – 26:15

“ועשית את הקרשים למשכן עצי שטים עמידים” – “You shall make the beams of the Mishkan of shitim wood, standing erect.” The Gemara in Meseches Sukkah 45b says that we learn from this Posuk regarding all Mitzvos that one only fulfills his obligation when the objects of the Mitzvah are positioned in the manner of their growth. For example, one must take the Lulav with the bottom of the branch facing down, as that is the way it grows. B’derech Drush this can be explained that one must perform a Mitzvah in a way that it will cause him to grow from it – as the Mishna in Avos says, “מצוה גוררת מצוה” – one Mitzvah causes another Mitzvah. One should not just do a Mitzvah in order to fulfill his obligation, for this is certainly not the Rotzon Hashem.