Respond in Kind

4 Iyar 5782

“And to the children of Israel, you shall say: Any man of the children of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among Israel, who gives any of his offspring to Molech, shall surely be put to death; the people of the land shall pelt him with stones.” (Vayikra 20:2)

Rashi explains the unusual expression “the people of the land” as follows, “The people for whose sake the land i.e., the entire earth, was created. Alternatively, the people who are destined to possess the Land of Israel, through the observance of these commandments.” G‑d has shown unlimited kindness to his chosen people. Only out of His boundless love for the Jewish people he “overcame all obstacles” which stood in the way of creating this world. Furthermore, by simply observing His commandments the Jewish people additionally earn the merit of dwelling in Hashem’s Holy Land, with an openly revealed connection to G‑dliness in their midst.

“And this technique for revealing this love is, to take to heart the meaning of the verse: “As water mirrors the face to the face, so does the heart of man to man.’” (Lessons in Tanya, Likutei Amarim, beginning of Chapter 46)

In today’s Tanya portion the Alter Rebbe introduces another path for revealing the hidden love of G‑d already present in the heart of every Jew. This path is a “straight way i.e., simple and straightforward” and “equally applicable and suitable to every man.” It “is very, very close, inasmuch as the technique involved is uncomplicated.”

“Let a man think along these lines: It is in the nature of a human being that when he feels a strong emanation of love from his fellow, he will respond in kind. And if the manifestation of love is showered by an exalted personage upon a very lowly individual, the responsive chord of the lowly person’s love will be all the more vibrant. In a like manner, but infinitely more so, should this apply when a human being is enveloped by G‑d’s boundless love for him.”

“My eyes are always turned to the L‑rd, for He releases my feet from the snare.” (Tehillim 25:15)

All a Jew must do is recognize the boundless multitudes of hidden and revealed acts of love bestowed upon him from above each and every single day. When he sees how G‑d releases his feet from the snare, each and every day, his eyes will always be turned towards the L‑rd. By realizing the boundless love bestowed upon him, he will awaken in himself a strong desire to respond in kind, and it will become almost effortless for him “to serve G‑d with fiery, passionate love, leading him to excel in his study of Torah and performance of mitzvot.”