True Malchus Comes from Complete Bittul to Hashem
Every Mitzvah Needs Proper Preparation
We’re now in midst of preparing for the heilige Yom Tov of Pesach, when we’re commanded the mitzvah of לבנך והגדת, to transmit the story of the exodus from Mitzrayim to our children.
One of the great yesodos that we are taught by the Ba’al Shem Tov and his students is that of hachanah—properly preparing ourselves before performing a mitzvah. Before davening, we should learn as preparation for tefillah; prior to Shabbos Kodesh, we should place ourselves into the Shabbos atmosphere; and so forth, every mitzvah has its unique hachanah that enables us to perform the mitzvah with completeness and a full heart.
Essential to the Mitzvah
When we speak about a hachanah for a mitzvah, some may think that it’s solely a matter of enabling ourselves to have “good feelings” or “lofty levels” when performing the mitzvah. But this isn’t correct. We must make a hachanah in order to perform the mitzvah in its most basic sense! The fact is that if we’re lacking in the hachanah to the mitzvah, we lack the technical ability to perform this mitzvah properly.
This is very important for us to know, even though it may be unpleasant to hear, because when people “fall into” a mitzvah unprepared, they...
