In this week’s Parasha, Aharei Mot, there is a pasuk (Vayikra 18,5) that says,
וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֤ם אֶת־חֻקֹּתַי֙ וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֔י אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה אֹתָ֛ם הָאָדָ֖ם וָחַ֣י בָּהֶ֑ם אֲנִ֖י ה
Guard My statutes, and My civil laws, that man will do them, and live by them, I am God.
What does it mean to do the Mitzvot and live by them? Simply the Gemarah learns from here that “Chai bahem/live by them” means not to die by them, which is the source that a person does not give up his life when there is a question of doing a Mitzvah, other than for the three cardinal sins. If there was a question of whether to eat a ham sandwich or die, eat the ham sandwich, because the Mitzvot were given V’Chai Bahem/to live by them. That is the simple meaning.
The Shelah HaKadosh explains with a deeper meaning. V’Chai Bahem means to do the Mitzvot with life; Do them with excitement. Don’t do them in a lazy way. When a person does a Mitzvah while feeling sad or lazy, that is coming from the Yetzer Hara, which makes his limbs heavy, makes him too tired to get up in the morning, to pray or to do hesed. It’s as if his limbs are dead. We have to do the mitzvot with life, with excitement and eagerness, because we are connected to God, who was called Elokim Hayim/the living God.
The Pele Yoetz says at the end of his sefer, that a person should do Mitzvot with happiness- not with sadness or laziness. He says that the more that a person does something with happiness and excitement, the more life it gives to the Mitzvah. It says that we should live with them, and not die with them. Not dying with them means not doing them in a sad fashion. When a person does a Mitzvah, it has to be with life.
The Gemara tells us that we know that a dried lulav is not kosher because the pasuk says, “Lo Hametim YehalleluYah/The dead cannot praise God.“ A dried out lulav, with no life or freshness to it can’t praise God. Praising God has to be done with freshness and life.
The Shelah HaKadosh quotes a Rashi in Masechet Berachot, where it discusses that one of the requirements for a Kos shel beracha is that it’s Chai. Rashi says that means alive, fresh and excited. It is said about Sadikim that even when they’re old, they still “Give forth fruit, They are fresh and moist.” That only comes through Emuna and Bitachon, when a person really believes that everything he does is for his Boss above.
As we said recently, the Meshech Chochma says the source for bitachon in the Torah is Uboh Tidbak/ Cleave to Him. Bitachon is about cleaving to God and the way to know if you are cleaving to God, the litmus test, is whether you are alive or not. When a person is a “deadbeat,” that is a sign that he’s not connected.
When an electronic device is plugged in, it’s moves or makes noise, like a vacuum cleaner. If it’s not moving, it’s not plugged in. “If you are truly plugged into God, you’ll be alive fresh and excited.“ That comes from Emunah and Bitachon. It’s a source for freshness.
This is the way to take our bitachon pulse, so to say. Is the patient still alive? Is there a pulse? Is there a Simcha? Is there happiness? Is there excitement? Sadness and laziness are death. Lo Hametim Yahallelu Yah/ Deadbeats cannot praise God.
People that are alive, fresh, excited and connected are the people that can praise God. Our job is to appreciate the constant connection that we have, and let it show up with freshness and excitement in our service of God. Have a wonderful day, and a Shabbat shalom.