532. The Main Choice

The main choice concerns the reason that obligates a person to engage in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments]. A person must observe all 613 Mitzvot, or he will be punished in this world, since when the Temple existed, there was the conduct of “four deaths of the courthouse,” and the commandments to do were imposed. But concerning the reason that obligates a person to observe the Torah and Mitzvot, here there is choice, for there cannot be coercion about this.

As it is written in The Zohar, there are three reasons: 1) reward and punishment in this world, 2) reward and punishment in the next world, 3) bestowing upon the Creator. That is, since he cannot bestow upon the Creator and observe “As He is merciful, so you are merciful,” he engages in Torah and Mitzvot as a Segula [cure/power] that will bring him to have a desire and yearning to bestow upon the Creator.

This is the meaning of spirituality being above place and time, meaning when we tell the body to observe Torah and Mitzvot because of spirituality, meaning to bestow upon the Creator, these words have no place within the body; it does not understand them because the body asks what it will get out of it.

If it is asked, “Will you be able to observe tomorrow because of spirituality?” it answers “Not today, not tomorrow, and not ever!” since there is no room in it where it is possible to engage in spirituality.

This is called “spirituality is above place,” meaning that a person must pray to the Creator to help him come to be able to engage with a desire in order to bestow although there is no place or time from the perspective of the human mind that he will ever be able to work in order to bestow.

However, if a person comes to realize that this is the path of truth, he focuses all his work on this point, that the Creator will help him come to be able to take upon himself the true line required of the created beings: the aim to bestow.