533. The Creator Pulls the Man Close

August 1987

“And it came to pass because you hear.” RASHI interpreted, “If you obey the minor Mitzvot [commandments], which a person tramples with his heels, you will hear.” The interpreters asked why it is written only “ordinances” and not “laws,” as well.

They explain that “because” contains the laws, and the intimation is in the word “because” (this is how [the book] Kli Yakar explains it), since Satan and the nations of the world count on them in the sense that their taste is unknown, and therefore people treat them lightly and trample them with their heels. This is why he mentions them with the word Ekev [because, or Akev (heel)], and not with the word “laws.”

He is referring to the matter of faith, where the nations of the world claim that everything should be with awareness, meaning that when one should observe Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] not in order to receive reward, the body does not understand this and asks, “What are these Mitzvot and what is the reason for doing them if the body receives no reward for it?”

Hence, the whole world scorns this, which is why the commandment concerning it uses the word Ekev [because, similar to Akev (heel)]. When a person wants to achieve the goal, he should not mind that the whole world chases after the satisfaction of the desires of the body. Rather, he should try to do the Creator’s will, meaning that his only wish will be to bring contentment to the Creator.

If a person says that it is hard to walk on this path, the Torah promises us, “The Lord your God keeps,” etc., meaning that the Creator will guard a person who wants to achieve the truth, so he can achieve this.

This is the meaning of “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him in truth.” In other words, one who prays to the Creator, who wants to walk on the path of truth, is close to the Creator, meaning that the Creator comes near him. This means that the Creator gives him the power to be in equivalence of form with the Creator.