The Purpose of the Mitzvos
Rabbi Noson Sternhartz, Likutei Halachos,
Arev 3:8
The purpose of the soul's descent into this
world is to give birth to ratzon: the deepest will and desire of the
soul for G-d. The beginning of Divine service and the end of Divine service is
this. The main thing is ratzon.
Indeed, the very essence of the soul is desire,
or ratzon. The three levels of nefesh (the vital soul), ruach
(the seat of emotions), and neshama (the seat of intellect) commonly are
called by the summary term nefesh. The word nefesh literally
means "desire" or ratzon. For example, it is written, "If
this is what you desire (nafshichem)…" (II Kings 9:15) [From this
verse we see that the root of the verb "to desire" is nefesh.]
This is because the soul has its source in the Supernal Desire - the
"desire," so to speak, of the Creator for creation. The ultimate goal
and destiny of the soul is to return to the place from which she was hewn and
to become incorporated into the "desire of desires." This is the
paradigm of the soul of Moses, the "universal soul" that includes all
souls and constitutes their very essence. [That is, Moses attained this
ultimate spiritual level. This empowers all other souls eventually to do so, as
well.]
However, the soul finds herself garbed in a
physical body in this lowly World of Action, far from her true home, confused
and beset by physical desires and fears. Faced with a host of moral and
spiritual challenges, she is in grave danger. Due to her state of estrangement
and the "fallen desires" concealed within worldly passions, she may
lose touch with her inherent holy ratzon.
Therefore, G-d took pity on upon us and gave us
His holy Torah and Mitzvos (commandments), which the Zohar calls
"613 pieces of advice" (Zohar II, 82b). By performing these
commandments, we spiritually refine and sanctify our bodies, as well as this
entire World of Action.
This is because each commandment proceeds from
the Divine Will. It is G-d's will and desire that each commandment be performed
in a certain manner, in certain circumstances. For example, tzitzis
(fringes) must be spun of wool or flax, and worn specifically on the corners of
our four-cornered garments. This principle applies to all commandments.
By performing the commandments with our physical bodies and with the physical
things of this world, we sanctify those parts of our bodies and those aspects
of the physical world that are spiritually related to the commandments in
question.
Thus, through the commandment, we remind ourselves, in this world and in this
body, to yearn for G-d with intense ratzon. Then the World of Action
becomes incorporated into the Divine Will, which is its supernal root and its
ultimate destiny. This is alluded to by the Kabbalistic principle, "The
end in deed is first in thought."
This is G-d's greatest pleasure and delight:
when through our performance of the commandments we accomplish the unification
of the most remote and estranged aspect of the World of Action with the highest
level of ratzon. This is brought about by the performance of the holy
commandments, which are discrete expressions of the Divine will, that we must
fulfill specifically through physical actions involving the physical things of
this world.
The perfection of ratzon takes place when
desire is elevated from this material world, far from G-d; for the desire of
the soul is strongest and shines most brightly when it must traverse the
greatest distance.
Translated by David Sears © 2001 The Breslov
Center
