Torah is greater than the performance of Mitzvot. A person who can understand this will be overcome with a sense of tremendous fear when he engages in the study of Torah. He realises ultimately that he is cleaving to God Himself – who is concealed within those words and is really one with them.
Not everyone is able to reach that level – and that is okay – but this level is available to everyone to achieve. This is the level we strive for.
We begin Chapter 24.
Whereas we had discussed how Torah and Mitzvot serve to connect us with God, Chapter 24 takes us on the journey to understand what Aveiros (sins) do to us. Aveiros are going to be those things that disconnect us from God.
The Sitra Achra (the Other Side) and the kelipot (the husks / shells / peels) – the forces of evil – serve the purpose of disconnecting us from God. Ironically it is strange to realise that the kelipot in their raw spiritual form are quite aware of God. It is not that they do not know God is there. On the contrary, they know well that God is there. But they rebel as if to say that they are the one’s in charge!
Those who then make use of the powers of those evil forces i.e. by involving oneself in committing a sin – are even worth less than the kelipah. This is because the kelipah serves God by fulfilling God’s wishes in attending to matters of evil in this world. However, we as human beings have the ability to reject the influence of these forces and perform good. When, however, we make use of the kelipah, we take that negative source and treat it as if it is God – God forbid. As a result, we forget that God is there, thinking instead that these forces constitute Godliness.
Ironically then – though the kelipah fulfills its role in life, those that go on the wrong path in life, transgressing against God find themselves on that lower level – worth even less than the evil force itself.
