The Holy Copycat

You shall follow after Hashem your G-d... and to Him you should cleave. (Devarim 13:5) Comments Rashi: "To Him shall you cleave" - Cleave to His ways; Acts of Kindliness, burying the dead, visiting the sick, like The Holy One Blessed Be He does.


In the beginning of the Torah, in the days of creation, we are told that man was created in G-d's image. What does that mean? If G-d is infinite & without form or image, how can this possibly be? The answer is that we aren't created in some sort of tangible "image" that can be seen or felt. Rather, we were created with the same attributes that G-d has. This is an amazing thing! When G-d "breathed into his nostrils the soul of life", Adam & Eve and their descendants were infused with G-dly souls that had G-dly attributes. How do we see this? That we contain abilities that are similar to G-d's? Well, let's look at the simple fact that G-d Knows he is the only true existence, with no creator before him - He can do anything and everything. Sounds familiar? Unlike the angels in the spiritual realms who are described in the visions of Ezekiel & Isaiah as being in a continual state of fiery love and devotion to G-d, always with the sense that they are created and get life from Him, we humans DON'T feel that at all. Quite the contrary! Each of us believe we can do anything, create anything, have infinite possibilities, without feeling during our day that we have a life source from above and were created. Sounds familiar?

G-d is infinite, and knows he can create infinitely as well. Us humans can do the same. Say what!? Well, you and I are descendants of parents who had parents who had parents since the first man & woman. And from each of us can be produced children who can have children potentially ad infinitum! In that way, we have created an everlasting chain! An ability to create infinitely. Sounds familiar? The above verse (& commentary from Rashi) in this week's Torah portion, Re'eh, sheds light on the next question. OK, so we're created in the "image" of G-d, with similar attributes. But at the end of the day, we're down here in a reality that denies we have any connection to - let alone are similar to - G-d! So how can I awaken that connection?

Answers the Torah: "Cleave to Him - by cleaving to His ways. Acts of kindness, burying the dead (as G-d did with Moses), visiting the sick (as G-d did with Abraham after his circumcision), like the Holy One Blessed Be He does." G-d is continually forgiving the Jewish people in the desert with compassion. We must learn to forgive, to have compassion. The Ramak (1522-1570), the foremost Kabbalist of his time in Tzfat, Israel, wrote an entire book on how to emulate G-d, entitled "The Palm tree of Devorah." Through expressing our attribute of kindness, mercy, patience, compassion, charity and all the amazing G-dly attributes we possess, we strengthen our connection to the One whom we are emulating. As this special Hebrew month of "Elul" (begins on Shabbat) comes upon us, when "The King is in the field" and G-d is extra accessible, may we do our best to emulate Him by being the best we can be, awakening our connection to G-d once more anew.

Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh tov!