“If you walk in My statutes ….” (Vayikra 26:3) It is written in the Midrash (Yalkut Shemoni Mishlei, Ch. 22), (Tehilim, 111:10) “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. It is also written (Mishlei 22:4), ‘following humility [on the heel of humility] is the fear of God.’ The same thing that made wisdom a crown for the head, made humility the heel for the sole.” Through contemplation and investigating God’s intentions for all that He created, you may naturally come to the conclusion that there is a Creator and Master of the world. But this is only when he starts to bring himself close to Torah Study, and at that time this wisdom is called Yirah, the fear of God. This is because once you know that there is a Creator and Master, you will listen to God’s voice and experience Yirah before Him. Yet if you achieves the quality of Anavah, humility, then you can attain Yirah in the blink of an eye, with no need to search your soul in order to achieve it. Rather, it is simple and clear. This is, “If you walk in My statutes (chokim).”62“Statute,” Chok in Hebrew, is closely related to the word for carve, Chokek. Then (through this process) God’s statutes will be carved (chakuk) into your hearts.
אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ. אִיתָא בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (ילקוט שמעוני משלי פרק כ"ב) "רֵאשִׁית חָכְמָה יִרְאַת ה'" וּכְתִיב "עֵקֶב עֲנָוָה יִרְאַת ה'" מַה שֶּׁעָשְׂתָה הַחָכְמָה עֲטָרָה לְרֹאשָׁהּ עָשְׂתָה עֲנָוָה עָקֵב לְסוּלְיָתָהּ. הָעִנְיָן בָּזֶה כִּי אַף שֶׁעַל פִּי דֶּרֶךְ הַטֶּבַע יוּכַל הָאָדָם גַּם כֵּן לְהִתְבּוֹנֵן שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹרֵא וּמַנְהִיג עַל פִּי הִסְתַּכְּלוּתוֹ בְּכַוָּנוֹת כָּל הַנִּבְרָאִים, וְזֶהוּ בְּהַתְחָלַת שֶׁאָדָם מְקָרֵב עַצְמוֹ לְדִבְרֵי תּוֹרָה, הַחָכְמָה הַזֹּאת נִקְרֵאת אֶצְלוֹ יִרְאָה. כִּי מֵאַחַר שֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹרֵא וּמַנְהִיג צָרִיךְ לִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקוֹלוֹ וְלִירֹא מִפָּנָיו, אַךְ אַחַר שֶׁהִגִּיעַ הָאָדָם לְמִדַּת עֲנָוָה יַכִּיר זֹאת כְּהֶרֶף עַיִן וְלֹא יִצְטָרֵךְ לְהַשְׂכִּיל וּלְהַחְכִּים עַל זֶה כִּי יִהְיֶה דָּבָר פָּשׁוּט אֶצְלוֹ, וְזֶה "אִם בְּחֻקּוֹתַי תֵּלֵכוּ" שֶׁיִּהְיֶה חֻקּוֹתַי נֶחְקָק בְּלִבּוֹתֵיכֶם.
“If you walk in My statutes ….” (Vayikra 26:3)
It is written in the Midrash (Yalkut Shemoni Mishlei, Ch. 22), (Tehilim, 111:10) “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. It is also written (Mishlei 22:4), ‘following humility [on the heel of humility] is the fear of God.’ The same thing that made wisdom a crown for the head, made humility the heel for the sole.” Through contemplation and investigating God’s intentions for all that He created, you may naturally come to the conclusion that there is a Creator and Master of the world. But this is only when he starts to bring himself close to Torah Study, and at that time this wisdom is called Yirah, the fear of God. This is because once you know that there is a Creator and Master, you will listen to God’s voice and experience Yirah before Him. Yet if you achieves the quality of Anavah, humility, then you can attain Yirah in the blink of an eye, with no need to search your soul in order to achieve it. Rather, it is simple and clear. This is, “If you walk in My statutes (chokim).”62“Statute,” Chok in Hebrew, is closely related to the word for carve, Chokek. Then (through this process) God’s statutes will be carved (chakuk) into your hearts.