[The above difficulties can be resolved based on the following concept:]
It is written,1 “This is the Torah of man...,” i.e., the Torah
resembles man. Just as man is a composite of body and soul, so, too, the Torah
possesses [dimensions comparable to] a body and to a soul.
In a general sense, this reflects the difference between the Torah and its
mitzvos:2 The 248 [positive] mitzvos
are the 248 “limbs of the King,”3 comparable [in analogy] to a person’s limbs. The Torah, by
contrast, can be compared to the blood, referred to as “the
soul,”4 [for it is the
medium] that draws life into the limbs of [the body, i.e.,] the
mitzvos.5
[The analogy between the mitzvos and a body can be taken further. Just
as a body lives within a time and space continuum,] so too, [the observance of]
the mitzvos is governed by time and space. There are designated times and
places for their observance. The Torah, by contrast, transcends time and space.
{Therefore, “A person who occupies himself in [studying] the laws of a
burnt-offering is considered as if he actually offered it.”6 This applies
even when [he studies] at a time [inappropriate for bringing an offering] and in
a place [where an offering] may not be sacrificed.}7
[Based on the above analogy, we can resolve the difficulty initially raised:]
The body (and similarly, the mitzvos, which are compared to the body) are
confined by the limits of time and space. The soul (and similarly, the Torah
which is compared to the soul) are spiritual and transcend time and space.
A parallel to the relationship between the Torah and its mitzvos
themselves applies in relation to a person who studies Torah and performs
mitzvos: Torah study involves primarily the soul, while the performance of
mitzvos involves primarily the body.8
It is known9 that the
Torah’s superiority over its mitzvos applies only as [these entities
exist after being] drawn down into a revealed state [in our world]. In their
source, however, mitzvos are on a superior level. For the Torah is the
wisdom of G-d, blessed be He, while the mitzvos represent His
will, and the level of will surpasses that of wisdom.10
Moreover, even after the Torah and its mitzvos are drawn down [into
this world], the advantage of the mitzvos is readily apparent. For the
Torah serves as an exposition and interpretation of the mitzvos.11 [This implies that
there is a superior quality to the mitzvos that the Torah can merely
explain.]
We can appreciate that similar concepts apply with regard to the soul and
body of man {which resemble the Torah and its mitzvos}: Although the body
receives its vitality from the soul, nevertheless, the source of the body is
superior to the source of the soul.
{[These concepts are reflected in the relationship between G-d and the Jewish
people:] As explained in other sources,12 G-d’s love and connection for the souls
of the Jewish people resembles a natural love, as it were, akin to a father’s
love for his child. It is in this vein that it is written,13 “You are
children unto G-d, your L-rd.” [Although this reflects a very high form of love,
even this love has its limitations.] The love is rooted in a level [within G-dliness]
where the import of [the souls], the objects of [G-d’s] love is recognized.
[Since there is an external source — the souls’ positive virtues — which
motivates this love,] it does not emanate from His essence itself.
G-d’s love and connection to the bodies of the Jewish people, by contrast,
does not stem (from [an appreciation of] the inherent virtue of their bodies.
Nor does this choice reflect [a relationship between a father and] his child
who share a fundamental connection. Instead, [this love] comes about because G-d
chooses the Jewish body.14 And this choice is entirely
free, [with no restrictions upon it, and no rationale which compels
it].15 [Such
a choice has only one possible source,] His very essence.}
This explains why the soul, [a refined spiritual entity,] can be drawn down
to enliven the body. Since the body is superior to the soul in its source, [it
has the power to motivate the soul to descend and grant it life].
(Following a similar motif, we find the Torah explains and expounds upon the
mitzvos. [As explained above, it directs its focus in this direction],
because the source of the mitzvos is superior to that of the Torah).
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