And so, three times a year the whole nation packed their bags, put on their walking shoes, and hit the road. And now there were great crowds of people traveling on the roads. It was an inspiring sight to see the Am Yisroel marching up to Hashem! And as they passed different villages more and more people came to join them. And they were all singing – they were walking and singing shir hamaalos. It was a holacha to the mizbeach of the greatest magnitude! And when they finally arrived in Yerushalayim, they all sang together: יוָה ֹ̇ו„¿מֹע םƒ ָלָׁ ּ̆רו¿י¿ךƒיַרָﬠׁ¿ ּ̆ƒבּינו≈ל¿‚ַר – “We’re here! We made it! We walked miles to see You and now we’re standing in Yerushalayim” (Tehillim 122:2).
Now, how does Hakadosh Baruch Hu look at that scene? So the Gemara (Chagiga 3a) tells us what He’s thinking. He’s speaking about the Am Yisroel and He says, יבƒ„ָנ ַּ̇ב יםƒלָﬠ¿ּנַּב¿ךƒיַמָﬠ¿פּפוָּי הַמ – How beautiful are your feet adorned in shoes (Shir Hashirim 7:2). You hear that? Of all things, Hashem is praising our feet and shoes?
You have to understand that in those days not everybody wore shoes; when you had to take a long journey, you made sure to put on shoes. And so when the Am Yisroel made their trek to the Beis Hamikdash, Hashem looked at their feet and He said, “ל≈‡ָר¿ׂ ̆ƒי ל∆ׁ ̆ ם∆יה≈ל¿‚ַר יןƒ‡ָנ הָּמַּכ – How beautiful are My people who put on shoes and walk towards Me.”
The Am Yisroel is walking on the roads and Hakadosh Baruch Hu is admiring their feet. Now, He admires their minds too. If, while you’re walking you’re thinking about Him, very good. If you’re thinking over the sugyahs of Rav Chaim Brisker, excellent! Hashem loves you for that. But even if you’re not thinking at all – the mere fact that your feet are moving towards Him, that’s already especially beautiful in the eyes of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. To walk to Yerushalayim, the ir Hashem, and to climb the mountain to the top of Har Habayis where the House of Hashem is, that’s already a very big achievement.
