Mitzvah 8: To Emulate HaShem.

This mitzvah is described in several of the sources as follows. Just as HaShem visits the sick so you too shall visit the sick. Just as HaShem buries the dead so you shall bury the dead. Just as HaShem marries off couples so you shall marry off couples. And so on. In other sources our mitzvah is described as follows. Just as HaShem is merciful you too shall be merciful. Just as HaShem is generous so you shall be generous, and so on.

From these two descriptions a multi-dimensional mitzvah emerges. On one hand the mitzvah instructs us to imitate HaShem in all His actions. On the second level the mitzvah directs us emulate HaShem. It is not enough to imitate His actions but we must actually become godlike.

Let us compress both components of the mitzvah into one directive; become just like G-D. This implies that we should both emulate and imitate HaShem. We should develop our godly qualities and practice them actively.

The implication of this mitzvah is that there is within every one of us innate godliness. If there would not be innate godliness HaShem would never instruct us to something that is impossible. The only argument that might be made is that perhaps even if there is no godliness in us nevertheless HaShem wants us to become godly by training ourselves. The answer to this is best illustrated by the following story told of Rambam, back in the 12th century.

The Rambam was the royal physician of the Sultan of Egypt. One of the Sultan’s other advisors was quite jealous of Rambam’s close relationship to the ruler. He told the Sultan that Rambam is not entirely open with his highness. Rambam claimed that an animal is animal and can never be trained to be humanlike. This advisor challenged this position claiming that Rambam knew it to be false. The Sultan raised the challenge to Rambam who maintained that his position was correct that it is not possible to train an animal to be humanlike. The jealous advisor set a date when he would have a cat serve a dinner to the Sultan and his guests. Of course Rambam was invited to the dinner. Before coming to the dinner Rambam placed a small mouse in the pocket of his robe.

The time came and all the guests were brought into the royal dining hall. Sure enough a cat, walking on his hind legs began to serve the guests! The first course went with no problems and things were looking bad for Rambam. The second course was soup. As the cat approached the table with the soup in his hands Rambam released his little friend from his pocket and instantly the cat dropped the soup returned to all four legs and chased the mouse leaving a royal mess.

Rambam’s lesson was that an animal is animal and whatever you will teach and train it to do, it will nevertheless remain an animal. If Man has no innate godliness in him that as much as he would try to emulate G.D it would be only imitation not true emulation, because a man can only be a man and not G.D.

Therefore our eighth mitzvah reveals to us that there is a part of us that is innately godly. This part of us is the neshoma (soul).

With this insight let us restate the eighth mitzvah as follows. The Torah instructs us to develop our neshoma to reach its potential by becoming godly. The specific course of action required to achieve this is by emulating and imitating HaShem.