IF YE WALK IN MY STATUTES. This is the place from which depend the decrees of the Law, whereas “judgements” signifies another and higher place to which this statute is attached; and the two, “statute” and “judgement”, are connected both on the higher and the lower plane. All the commandments and decrees and sanctifications of the Torah are attached to these, because one is the Written Torah and the other the Oral Torah.
Both are intertwined and form one entity, and this is the sum of the Holy Name, so that he who transgresses against the commandments of the law in effect impairs the Holy Name.
AND YE SHALL DO (MAKE) THEM. After walk and “keep” have been mentioned, why does it also say “do”? Because he who “keeps” the precepts of the Law and “walks” in God’s ways, if one may say so, “makes” Him who is above. Also it says, “You shall make them”, because the two aspects (of statute and judgement) are both aroused through you and join together so that the Holy Name is consummated.’
Similarly, R. Simeon commented on the verse, “And David made him a name” (2 Sam. 8, 23). ‘Did, then, David really make it?’ he asked. ‘What it means is that because David walked in the way of the Torah and carried out the precepts of the Torah and exercised his royal power in the fitting manner, he, as it were, “made” a Name on high. No other king was so worthy to accomplish this as David, because he used to rise at midnight and praise the Holy One, blessed be He, until the Holy Name ascended on its throne at the hour when the light of day appeared. In the same sense it is written here, “and ye shall make them”;
(ויקרא כ״ו:ג׳) אִם בְּחֻקּוֹתַי תֵּלֵכוּ. אִם בְּחֻקּוֹתַי, דָּא אֲתַר דִּגְזִירִין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא תַּלְיָין בְּהַהוּא אֲתַר, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (ויקרא י״ח:ד׳) אֶת חֻקּוֹתַי תִּשְׁמוֹרוּ. חוֹק הוּא דְּאִקְרֵי הָכִי, וּגְזִירִין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא בָּהּ אִתְכְּלִילָן. (ויקרא כ״ה:י״ח) וְאֶת מִשְׁפָּטַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ. מִשְׁפָּטַי, דָּא הוּא אֲתַר אָחֳרָא עִלָּאָה, דְּהַהִיא חֻקָּה אֲחִידַת בֵּיהּ, וּמִתְחַבְּרָן דָּא בְּדָא דְּעִילָּאֵי וְתַתָּאֵי. וְכָל פִּקּוּדֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, וְכָל גִּזְרֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, וְכָל קִדּוּשֵׁי אוֹרַיְיתָא, בְּהָנֵי אֲחִידָן. בְּגִין דְּהַאי תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָּב, וְהַאי תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה.
IF YE WALK IN MY STATUTES. This is the place from which depend the decrees of the Law, whereas “judgements” signifies another and higher place to which this statute is attached; and the two, “statute” and “judgement”, are connected both on the higher and the lower plane. All the commandments and decrees and sanctifications of the Torah are attached to these, because one is the Written Torah and the other the Oral Torah.
וְעַל דָּא אִם בְּחֻקּוֹתַי, כָּל אִינּוּן גְּזִירִין וְדִינִין וְעוֹנָשִׁין וּפִקּוּדִין, דְּאִינּוּן בְּהַהוּא אֲתַר דְּאִקְרֵי תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה, חֻקָּה. וְאֶת מִשְׁפָּטַי תִּשְׁמוֹרוּ, בְּהַהוּא אֲתַר דְּאִקְרֵי תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָּב, כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמֵר (תהילים פ״א:ה׳) מִשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב. וְדָא אָחִיד בְּדָא וְדָא בְּדָא, וְכֹלָּא חַד. וְדָא הוּא כְּלָלָא דִּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא וּמַאן דְּאַעְבַּר עַל פִּתְגָּמֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, כְּאִלּוּ פָּגִים שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא, בְּגִין דְּחֹק וּמִשְׁפָּט שְׁמָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הֲוִי. וְעַל דָּא, אִם בְּחֻקּוֹתַי תֵּלֵכוּ: דָּא תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה. וְאֶת מִשְׁפָּטַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ: דָּא תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָּב. וְדָא הוּא כְּלָלָא דִּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא.
Both are intertwined and form one entity, and this is the sum of the Holy Name, so that he who transgresses against the commandments of the law in effect impairs the Holy Name.
וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אוֹתָם. מַאי וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אוֹתָם, כֵּיוָן דְּאָמַר תֵּלֵכוּ וְתִשְׁמְרוּ, אֲמַאי וַעֲשִׂיתֶם. אֶלָּא, מַאן דְּעָבִיד פִּקּוּדֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא וְאָזִיל בְּאוֹרְחוֹי, כִּבְיָכוֹל כְּאִלּוּ עֲבִיד לֵיהּ לְעֵילָּא. אָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, כְּאִלּוּ עַשָׂאָנִי, וְאוֹקְמוּהָ. וְעַל דָּא וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אוֹתָם. וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אַתֶּם כְּתִיב וַדַּאי, וְהוֹאִיל וּמִתְעָרֵי עָלַיְיכוּ לְאִתְחַבְּרָא דָּא בְּדָא, לְאִשְׁתַּכְּחָא שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא כְּדְקָא יֵאוֹת, וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אַתֶּם וַדַּאי.
AND YE SHALL DO (MAKE) THEM. After walk and “keep” have been mentioned, why does it also say “do”? Because he who “keeps” the precepts of the Law and “walks” in God’s ways, if one may say so, “makes” Him who is above. Also it says, “You shall make them”, because the two aspects (of statute and judgement) are both aroused through you and join together so that the Holy Name is consummated.’
כְּגַוְונָא דָּא אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, (שמואל ב ח׳:י״ג) וַיַּעַשׂ דָּוִד שֵׁם, וְכִי דָּוִד עֲבַד לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא בְּגִין דְּאָזִיל בְּאָרְחֵי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְעָבִיד פִּקּוּדֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאַנְהִיג מַלְכוּתָא כְּדְקָא יֵאוֹת, כִּבְיָכוֹל, עָשָׂה שֵׁם לְעֵילָּא. וְלָא הֲוָה מַלְכָּא בְּעָלְמָא דְּזָכָה לְהַאי כְּדָוִד, דְּהֲוָה קָם בְּפַלְגוּת לֵילְיָא, וַהֲוָה מְשַׁבַּח לֵיהּ לְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, עַד דְּסָלִיק שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא בְּכוּרְסְיָּיה, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּסָלִיק נְהוֹרָא דִּימָמָא. כִּבְיָכוֹל הוּא עָבַד שֵׁם מַמָּשׁ כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (ויקרא כ״ד:י״א) וַיִּקּוֹב בֶּן הָאִשָּׁה הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית אֶת הַשֵּׁם וַיְקַלֵּל. וּבְגִין כָּךְ וַיַּעַשׂ דָּוִד שֵׁם. וְעַל דָּא וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אוֹתָם כְּתִיב, וְאִי אַתּוּן תִּשְׁתַּדְּלוּן לְמֶעְבַּד לוֹן, לְאִתְתַּקְנָא שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא כְּדְקָא יָאוּת, כָּל אִינּוּן בִּרְכָאן דִּלְעֵילָּא יִשְׁתַּכְּחוּן גַּבַּיְיכוּ בְּתִקּוּנֵיהוֹן כְּדְקָא יֵאוֹת.
Similarly, R. Simeon commented on the verse, “And David made him a name” (2 Sam. 8, 23). ‘Did, then, David really make it?’ he asked. ‘What it means is that because David walked in the way of the Torah and carried out the precepts of the Torah and exercised his royal power in the fitting manner, he, as it were, “made” a Name on high. No other king was so worthy to accomplish this as David, because he used to rise at midnight and praise the Holy One, blessed be He, until the Holy Name ascended on its throne at the hour when the light of day appeared. In the same sense it is written here, “and ye shall make them”;