Engraved in Your Heart

Whereas the commandments are generally divided into Statutes, Testimonies and Laws, in this case, the verse states: “If you follow My statutes and observe My commandments and perform them.” The word for statute, “Chok,” shares a root with the Hebrew word for engraving, “Chakikah,” teaching us that the exile cannot impact the very essence of a Jew, for Torah and the commandments are engraved, etched onto the essence of a Jew’s soul.

When a Jew follows Torah in this way, he has no stagnation in this world or the next, for even when he isn’t learning, he thinks about why he isn’t learning. Thus, he’s constantly preparing for more Torah. It becomes just like the days of Sefirah, which as a preparation for receiving the Torah, are included in our service of the Almighty which began immediately upon leaving Egypt.