To Go in Hashem’s Ways
The idea of “going in Hashem’s ways” appears no less than three times in our parsha. The first time is in the beginning of chapter 8:
וְשָׁמַרְתָּ אֶת מִצְוֹת ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ לָלֶכֶת בִּדְרָכָיו וּלְיִרְאָה אֹתוֹ
You shall observe the commandments of Hashem, your God, to go in His ways and to fear Him[1]
In chapter ten,[2] it states:
וְעַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל מָה ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ שֹׁאֵל מֵעִמָּךְ כִּי אִם לְיִרְאָה אֶת ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ לָלֶכֶת בְּכָל דְּרָכָיו וּלְאַהֲבָה אֹתוֹ
And now, Israel, what does Hashem, your God ask of you? Only to fear Hashem, your God, to go in all His ways and to love Him.
And in chapter eleven,[3] we find:
כִּי אִם שָׁמֹר תִּשְׁמְרוּן אֶת כָּל הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת... לְאַהֲבָה אֶת ה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶם לָלֶכֶת בְּכָל דְּרָכָיו וּלְדָבְקָה בוֹ
For if you will observe this entire commandment… to love Hashem, your God, to walk in all His ways and to cleave to Him.
It is interesting to note that in all these three verses, this concept is presented differently in terms of other Torah ideals:
- In the first verse, it is mentioned before fear of Hashem.
- In the second verse, it is mentioned after fear of Hashem and before love of Hashem.
- In the third verse it is mentioned after love of Hashem and before cleaving to Him.
What are we to make of these shifts?
The Chafetz Chaim explains.[4] Fear of Hashem, love of Him and cleaving to Him are three increasingly higher levels of one’s relationship with Hashem. On the other hand, the idea of “going in His ways” represents emulating Hashem’s attributes of kindness and compassion, things that are generally expressed in one’s relationships with other people. There is a notion that prevails among many whereby development in one’s relationship with Hashem involves disassociating oneself from and their needs – things which might serve only as a distraction from one's spiritual pursuits. Our parsha teaches just the opposite. The three verses that mention emulating Hashem represent a progression, with each time the concept appears seeing the person at a more developed stage in his relationship with Hashem. By emulating Hashem in his dealings with others, the person himself attains an affinity with – and a closeness to – the Divine. Hence, initially it can lead him towards fear of Hashem, from there to love of Hashem and from there the cleaving to Him.
This sweeping view of the concept of “going in Hashem’s ways” as it appears in our parsha is a compelling reminder of the synergy that exists between all categories of mitzvos.
[1] Verse 6.
[2] Verse 12.
[3] Verse 22.
[4] Introduction to Ahavas Chesed.