05 May WALK THE WALK

Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow…
Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead…
Just walk beside me, and be my friend…
And, together we will walk in the way of
HaShem…
An all-time Uncle Moishy favorite that I sang
to my children when they were little. A song
with a message that resonates with both young
and old. A message of friendship. A message
of walking in the path of HaShem. A message
we find in this week’s parsha.
This Shabbos, we read the double Torah
portion of Behar-Bechukosai. Bechukosai
opens with the words “Im Bechukosai
teileichu, If you will walk in the way of My
decrees…” The pasuk continues, “And
observe My commandments and perform
them…” (Vayikra 26:3). Im, if – if the Jewish
people follow the Torah, they will be blessed
with peace and prosperity. An obligation to
study, to learn and to live Torah. To really
envelop our entire being in the study and
keeping of the Torah. As we say each morning
in Shacharis, “V’sein b’libeinu bina, And
instill in our hearts wisdom, to understand, to
comprehend, to listen, to learn, to teach, to

observe, to perform and to fulfill all the words
of your Torah with love.”
A story is told of a man who came to Rav
Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, known as the
Kotzker Rebbe, (1787-1859) lamenting how
despite his efforts, he was far from a Torah
scholar. The Rebbe explained that it’s not the
accumulation of knowledge, but what we do
with the knowledge that really counts. Strive
to live a Torah life. To walk the walk –
bechukosai teileichu, to walk the Torah path,
putting one’s learning into action.
The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, Rabbi Chaim
Ibn Attar, (1696-1743) in his commentary on
Bechukosai, lists 42 life lessons from the
Torah words “to walk in the path of my
decrees.”
Of the many teachings is that we should
always have Torah thoughts with us, even
when “walking”, going on our way, be it to
work, at home or on vacation – wherever life
takes us. As it is written “u’ve’lech’teh’cha
ba’derech, and when you walk on the way”
(Devarim 6:7). To make Torah our source of
direction, our GPS, as we travel life’s journey.
Another understanding is that HaShem did not
create man to remain stationary, stagnant,
stuck in the present. Rather, we should always
be growing, progressing and ascending to

greater heights, thereby improving
and strengthening our relationship
with HaShem.
As an aside, man is called a
“holeich” – a being that is always
on the move, always on the go. In
contrast, melochim, angels are
called “omdim” – those who are
stationary, who stand still,
remaining in one place, without the
potential of reaching higher planes.
Man doesn’t remain still. He either
rises to greater heights, or sadly,
stumbles and falls. We need to get
on the Torah path, seize the
opportunities before us, and utilize
every moment as an occasion for
self-development and
improvement.
The Ohr HaChaim cites a pasuk from Mishlei,
“When you walk, it will guide you.” (Mishlei
6:22). He explains that when the neshama
departs from this world, it typically travels
through a place of darkness. However, if
Torah and mitzvos accompany the neshama, it
illuminates the path. The Ohr HaChaim
supports this concept by citing yet another
pasuk, “Your word is a lamp at my feet, a light
for my path” (Tehillim 119:105)
There are so many lessons among the 42
teachings of the Ohr HaChaim on the words
Im Bechukosai teileichu, lessons we can
learn by walking on the path of Torah and
mitzvos.
The Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760) teaches
that as Bnei Yisroel experienced forty-two
journeys and encampments in the desert, so
too, each of us experiences forty-two life
journeys, from birth to death. As they faced
challenges at each stop, and had to make
moral and ethical decisions, so too, we have
our dilemmas and difficulties at different
phases in our life.
Each stop was an opportunity for growth
and development. Each stop another rung
on the spiritual ladder of life.
Both the Baal Shem Tov and Ohr HaChaim
teach that 42 is not just a random number,
but 42 opportunities to achieve spiritual
greatness. The Baal Shem Tov recalls the 42
stops that our ancestors endured. A
wandering and uncertainty we are still
experiencing today. The Ohr HaChaim
teaches us 42 valuable lessons about the
importance of making that journey a Torah
journey. 42 walks on the path of acquiring
Torah and refining one’s character.
Every generation has its challenges, its
difficulties, its pain. Some more, some less.
When the generation of the Baal Shem Tov
experienced troubles, he would go to a
secret place in the forest, light a mystical
fire, and turn to HaShem with a special
tefilla. The danger was removed.
In a later generation, when once again the

Jews were threatened, the Maggid of
Mezeritch (1704-1772), a disciple of the Baal
Shem, would go to the very same spot in the
forest. He would say, “Ribbono Shel Olam, I
don’t know how to light the fire, but I can say
a tefilla.”
Years later, the Maggid’s disciple, Rav Moshe
Leib of Sassov (1745-1807), would go to the
same place in the forest. There he would say,
“Ribbono Shel Olam, I don’t know how to
light the mystical flame, or say the special
tefilla of the Baal Shem. But, I did find my
way to the forest, and that must be sufficient”.
Even later, when the people in the generation
of Rav Yisroel of Rizhin (1796-1850) needed
Divine assistance, he would sit in his chair, his
head in his hands, and said, “Ribbono Shel
Olam, I no longer know how to light the fire or
how to say the special tefilla. I don’t even
know where to go in the forest. But I can tell
the story, and that must be enough.”
And it still is.
We are living through dark days. Eretz Yisroel
is still at war, surrounded by enemies on all
fronts – and even far beyond its borders.
Every day, in countries thought to be “safe” (is
there really such a place), acts of violence and
worse are occurring again and again.
Teileichu. And you should walk on the way.
Sometimes it’s a smooth path. At other times,
it’s rocky and hilly, with bumps along the way.
How do we navigate our lives? From where
do we derive strength?
We no longer know the place in the forest. We
no longer know how to light the mystical fire.
And, we no longer know the special holy
tefilla. But we do cling to the memories. We
hold on to the stories we believe in. We are
fortified by the merits of our ancestors. We
travel the road, accompanied by Torah,
mitzvos, and our emuna and bitachon in
HaShem.
This Shabbos, as we say Chazak, let us all be
strengthened with ameilus baTorah, to toil in
Torah, a labor of love. Let us ask ourselves,
what will walking the walk look like for us
this week?