Worshipping in Oneness

"And Moses said: This is the thing which the L-rd commanded that you should do, so that the glory of the L-rd may appear to you." (Lev. 9:6)

"Moses said to Israel, "Remove that evil inclination from your hearts, so that you should all have one [feeling of] awe, and be of one mind in serving G-d. Just as He is singular in the world, so you should be singular in worship of Him." (Midrash Sifra) A person should always have only one thought in mind when it comes to serving G-d….

The fundamental principle is that a person should always have only one thought in mind when it comes to serving G-d, as it is written: "G-d has made it so that men should fear before Him", (Ecclesiastes 3:14); "[G-d made man straight, but] they sought out many complications." (ibid. 7:29)

For too many thoughts will make one confused. [Rather], one should constantly imagine that everything in the world is filled with the Creator, as it is said: "'Do I not fill heaven and earth?' says the L-rd". (Jeremiah 23:24) Even the outcome of our own plans and intentions are from G-d. The most insignificant acts are under His direction.

You should think that everything, whether it is the World of Firmaments, the World of Angels, or of the Throne [various supernal worlds, according to Kabbala] is as nothing compared to Him, for all of them exist within the space emptied of His light, from where He removed Himself, and where He created everything with a single word.

This refers to the teaching of the Arizal that at the beginning of Creation, G-d "withdrew" Himself, and left an empty space in the middle of His Infinite Being into which to emanate a creation. Whether the "empty space" is to be taken literally or not has been a subject of debate among Kabbalists for centuries. Chassidut teaches that the "empty space", is only a concealment of G-d's ever-presence. Thus, the Baal Shem Tov stresses that G-d can be found everywhere, even in the most mundane activities.

Why should you desire anything that is in those worlds? It is no more than one of His words! Better to cleave to the Creator, who is beyond the worlds, for He is the main thing, rather than to attach yourself to something [worldly, which is] secondary. This is what the Zohar means, when it says: "Fortunate are those righteous ones, who know how to direct their wishes to the Holy, Supernal King, and not to worldly things and transient desires." (Zohar II:134b) For in the end, the worlds will ultimately be destroyed.1 Rather, you should constantly think about G-d, and attach yourself to Him with absolute love, far beyond [the love of] things of this world, for everything good in the world is rooted in Him.

You should think, "I want to always give joy to Him, and serve Him constantly." Your thoughts should always be attached to the supernal worlds, in Him, may He be blessed. This is alluded to in the verse: "And from the door of the Sanctuary, he should not go out". (Lev. 8:33) And when you must speak about mundane things, imagine that you are going down from the supernal world, like a person who leaves his house with the intention to return. Even as he leaves, he is thinking "When will I return?" Likewise, your thoughts should always be in the Supernal World, for that is G-d's main house. Even when you discuss matters of this world, you should immediately reattach your thoughts to their original place. This is what David [meant, when he] said to his son Solomon: "I am going the way of all the earth." (Kings I 2:2) - he was like a person going on a trip, whose thoughts and desires urge him to return to his home as soon as he can.

…First cleave to G-d, and then attend to some household matter, or do or say something in that state of cleaving, even if you don't need to. This will accustom you to maintain your attachment to G-d even when you are involved in material pursuits.

This is a fundamental principle.

[Adapted by Eliezer Shore from Tzivot HaRivash p. 9a-b
Reprinted with permission from www.baalshemtov.com