Righteousness Shall Go Before Him

139 – Righteousness Shall Go Before Him “Righteousness shall go before Him, and He shall set a path for His steps.” (Psalms 85:14) This refers to the preciousness of Shabbat, for during the weekdays, when the forces of the external realm ( chitzonim ) have dominance, then when a person performs a mitzvah, the external forces draw vitality (“suck”) from the “legs” of the mitzvah. For every mitzvah constitutes a complete spiritual stature, and when the legs are entrapped by the external forces, the mitzvah lacks the means to ascend and to “walk” before the Holy One, blessed be He. As it is written: “Her feet go down to death” (Proverbs 5:5). However, when Shabbat arrives, the dominion of the external forces is nullified. The legs of the mitzvah that were ensnared during the weekdays are then released, allowing the mitzvah to ascend and walk before the Holy One, blessed be He. This is the meaning of the verse: “If you restrain your foot because of the Sabbath” (Isaiah 58:13)—that is, through the Shabbat, one returns and retrieves the legs of the mitzvah from among the external forces. Then, the mitzvah ascends and walks before God, and the Holy One, blessed be He, delights in it—even if it was performed in the smallest way, without proper intent or perfection. Still, God derives great pleasure from the mitzvah, just as a father delights when his son first begins to walk—even if the walking is unsteady. So too, the Holy One, blessed be He, takes great delight in every Jew who performs a mitzvah, even imperfectly. Behold, one who walks in a wilderness—where there is no path—cannot create a beaten path unless he walks repeatedly. Similarly, when a person walks with many mitzvot, as in: “All Your commandments are righteousness” (Psalms 119:172), then “Righteousness shall go before Him”—that is, the mitzvah walks before the Holy One, blessed be He. “And He shall set a path for His steps”—God transforms the steps of the person’s legs into a well-trodden path, through the great delight and joy He derives from the mitzvah. Thus, from the footsteps themselves, God prepares a way for others to follow. Note: See further elaboration of this idea in Likutey Moharan section 277.