The concept can be explained as follows:1 “The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling in the lower worlds.” The Sages saw a hint to this in the verse,2 “His thighs are pillars of marble based on sockets of fine gold.”
“The word ‘his thighs’ [שוקיו in Hebrew] refers to this world which G‑d desired [נשתוקק in Hebrew] to create. ‘Pillars of marble’ indicates that [the world] was created in six days [for the Hebrew שש means both ‘marble’ and ‘six’]. ‘Based on sockets of gold’ refers to the portions of the Torah.”3
On the verse,4 “In the beginning G‑d created...,” our Sages note that the word בראשית (“in the beginning”) comprises two elements — ב ראשית, implying “two firsts”; i.e., for the sake of two entities referred to as “first”, the Jews and the Torah, G‑d created the world.5 This indicates that the ultimate intent of the creation of the world is that the Jews should study the Torah in the form in which it was given in this world. This fulfills [G‑d’s] intention in creating [all] the worlds, [i.e., the higher spiritual realms as well as this material world].
It is written,6 “Torah is light.” This implies that when all the aspects of existence are conducted according to the Torah, then the world will be maintained. Thus, our Sages declared,7 “The Holy One, blessed be He, made a condition with all the works of Creation: If Israel accepts the Torah, you will continue to exist; if not, I shall return you all to nothingness and void.’ ”
Fulfilling the Torah means that the mitzvos are observed as prescribed by the Torah. The Hebrew מצוה [“commandment”] is related to the word צוותא, meaning “connection”. [On a very basic level,] giving a command establishes a connection between the commander and the people who receive the commands. On the material plane, we see that a command is only relevant between people who share a connection, e.g., a father commands a son, or a master, his servant. Furthermore, the fulfillment of a command in general, and in particular, the commitment to fulfill it in a precise manner, indicates the depth of the connection shared by the one receiving the command with the commander.
[To illustrate:] The way the commands of a master are fulfilled differs in several respects from the way the commands of a father are fulfilled. Sons possess an essential quality lacking in servants. Conversely, there is a superiority in the acceptance of the yoke [of servitude], which servants possess over sons. Both [sons and servants] share a common factor: It is through the fulfillment of a command that they, the recipients of the commands, establish their connection and bond with the commander.
[In a spiritual sense,] it is the fulfillment of the commandments which brings pleasure to the Creator. As our Sages teach,8 “I derive satisfaction from the fact that I made a statement and My will was fulfilled.”
The mitzvos represent G‑d’s will. Consequently, the primary element of service is that they be fulfilled with kabbalas ol, [“acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven”]. The fulfillment of G‑d’s will, i.e., the mitzvos, should not be motivated by an intellectual rationale, but rather by the realization that G‑d’s wisdom and His will decreed and commanded us [to fulfill them in a particular manner].
[From this perspective,] there is no difference between the different mitzvos. There are some mitzvos which mortal intellect accepts, e.g., honoring one’s parents, charity, and the prohibitions against theft and robbery. There are other mitzvos, e.g., Pesach9 and tzitzis,10 which are defined as chukim, (mitzvos which transcend the intellect). [These differences only reflect one level and,] in essence, there is no difference whatsoever between mitzvos. Even those mitzvos that can be grasped intellectually ought to be fulfilled only because they are G‑d’s will.
The proper fulfillment of mitzvos depends on the study of Torah. On the most basic level, it is necessary to study in order to know how to fulfill the mitzvos. Indeed, we find a number of G‑d-fearing individuals who lack basic knowledge: e.g., when it is permitted to interrupt one’s prayers to respond Amen and Amen, yehei shmei rabbah; the laws of washing one’s hands; and the careful observance of the Shabbos laws. These people ought to study in order to know how to fulfill the mitzvos according to the Torah.
Beyond this dimension, Torah study — and, in particular, communal Torah study — reveals a sublime light from above which arouses one to change his nature and habits, becoming a different person, and acquiring positive character traits.
