Every Social Interaction

20 Nissan 5782

“You must safeguard My rules and My ordinances, which a person must do to live by them.” (Vayikra 18:5)

“The Hebrew phrase ’to live by them’ can also be read, ‘in order to imbue them with life-force.’ This teaches us that not only do G‑d’s commandments enhance our lives; by observing them, we bring them to life. For example, even the most carefully crafted tefilin cannot accomplish their purpose – thereby effecting a positive change in reality – until a Jewish man wears them.

Thus, we bring G‑d’s plan for creation to fruition through fulfilling His commandments. Of course, in order to ’enliven’ G‑d’s commandments, we ourselves must be ‘alive,’ i.e., healthy, strong, happy, enthusiastic, and optimistic.” (Daily Wisdom, Lubavitcher Rebbe)

“Only, since the soul has clothed itself in the body, it needs a great and mighty exertion, doubled and redoubled, in order to feel and be attached to G‑d.” (Lessons in Tanya, Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 42)

While it is true that the soul has the capacity to feel attached to G‑d by dint of its being nurtured from the soul of Moses, nevertheless, even after possessing this capacity, it requires a prodigious effort to actually comprehend and feel G‑dliness. This effort must be in the way of Torah and mitzvos, not only to know about them, but to live by them, to apply them in our lives and make them the very cornerstone of our being.

“He made His ways known to Moses, His deeds to the Children of Israel.” (Tehillim 103:7)

Not only should we attach ourselves to Hashem’s commandments in a most profound way, but we should also make sure that every social interaction we have leaves off the other in a mindset more aligned to the maxim above, that Hashem is the only reality and we must bind ourselves to Him to live by Him. Of course, all this must be done in an “alive” way, i.e., we must be “healthy, strong, happy, enthusiastic, and optimistic” in our outlook. By doing so we will be a walking sanctification of G‑d, returning Jews everywhere to their source, little by little, making His deeds known to the Children of Israel, and “effecting a positive change in reality.”