The Midrash explains our verse in the following context. “With this mitzvah HaShem is telling His people; if you will make yourselves holy I will consider it as though you made Me holy. If you do not make yourselves holy I will consider it as though you profaned Me.”

Without question, whether or not we are holy, HaShem’s holiness remains unchanged. We cannot alter Him in any way. How shall we therefore understand this Midrash?

The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh explains this Midrash using the principle found in the Zohar. The Zohar teaches us that every mitzvah corresponds to a different body part. The 248 positive mitzvos correspond to the 248 limbs of the body and the 365 negative mitzvos correspond to the 365 sinews of the body. When a person fulfills a mitzvah he brings the sanctity of that mitzvah into the respective body part.

To further appreciate this notion the Ohr Hachaim draws our attention to the structure of the word ‘mitzvah’. The word ‘mitzvah’ is spelled ‘mem’ ‘tzadi’ ‘vuv’ ‘hei’. The first two letters ‘mem’
and ‘tzadi’ are interchangeable with ‘yud’ and ‘hei’ using the ʺ ́ot-bash method of gematria. The final two letters of mitzvah are ‘vuv’ ‘hei’. Hence the four letters of ‘mitzvah’ actually form the tetragrammaton, the primary Name of HaShem.

What follows therefore is that our fulfillment of mitzvos is the mechanism by which the Name of HaShem rests within our very bodies!

We are taught that the intent and the thoughts of the person doing the mitzvah affects the impact of the mitzvah. Giving charity with the intent to impress my friends will negatively impact the effect of my mitzvah. The more a mitzvah is done exclusively for the sake of HaShem the greater its impact on bringing HaShem into that person’s body will be.

There are many mitzvos whose fulfillment is quite enjoyable and one is liable to perform those mitzvos with the sole intent of his personal enjoyment. In that case, the person is lowering the potential of his mitzvah to becoming a vehicle of personal material enjoyment. Naturally, that would lower the Name of HaShem which accompanies the mitzvah to a base material level. If, one the other hand, the person fulfills those mitzvos for the exclusive intent of doing HaShem’s Will, then he has elevated the Name of HaShem outside of the material world. He has made that Name of HaShem holy!

HaShem therefore instructs us; Be holy because I am Holy and My holiness is dependent upon your mitzvos. So to speak, HaShem’s entry into our bodies through our performance of His mitzvos, will either be holy or otherwise depending on what our thoughts will be. It is the thought that counts.

Have a very wonderful Shabbos.

Paysach Diskind