2024/5784

The first Pasuk in this week’s Parashah is, “אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י תֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֹתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם׃, If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments” (Leviticus 26:3). The Pasuk uses the word “תֵּלֵ֑כוּ”, which is an expression of walking. The Pasuk is connecting Hashem's holy laws with the expression of walking, how do these two things connect?

In Tehilim 119:59 it says “חִשַּׁ֥בְתִּי דְרָכָ֑י וָאָשִׁ֥יבָה רַ֝גְלַ֗י אֶל־עֵדֹתֶֽיךָ׃, “I consider my ways, and I direct my feet to Your precepts”. The medresh in Vayikra Rabbah explains this to mean that Dovid HaMelech would consider what he wanted to do each day, and invariably his feet brought him to the Torah academy or the House of prayer. The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh derives a very powerful lesson from this. He says that when a person applies himself to Torah and its holy laws, one's own body will automatically help one to head in the spiritually correct direction. The Ohr HaChaim says that you can translate the pasuk as, "if according to My statutes, you will find yourselves walking in the right direction."

There is a very powerful lesson to be learned here. When someone takes upon himself to be careful in following Hashem's Torah and its laws, eventually their body will start to “walk” them in the right path. We can now understand the connection between walking and observing the Torah, and the deeper meaning behind the pasuk’s lashon. 

May we all be Zocheh to live a life filled with Torah and Mashiach BiMeheria BeYamenu.