PARSHAT KI TAVO – EMULATE G-D · Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach

בס”ד

Parashat Ki Tavo This week’s Torah reading has a very special commandments (that can be applied to non Jews also): to emulate G-d’s behavior: what does it mean and how do you do it? Based on Likkutei Sichot, vol. 34, p. 153

Introduction

Can we emulate G-d? And if so, what does that actually mean — and how would one go about doing it? This question grows out of a verse from this week’s Torah reading, which speaks of “going in His ways” and “walking in His paths.”

Maimonides and the 613 Commandments

When Maimonides lists the 613 commandments, he includes this verse — “you shall walk in His ways” — as one of them. This raises a well-known problem: general instructions aren’t supposed to count as individual commandments. Each commandment needs a precise, distinct definition. “Do the commandments,” for example, isn’t itself a commandment; it’s simply an instruction to do whatever G-d tells you to do, not a specific, particular act.

So why does Maimonides count “walking in His ways” as a commandment in its own right? What is the specific action or feeling this commandment demands? The answer, it turns out, is that this commandment is about emulating G-d.

What Does It Mean to Emulate G-d?

To emulate G-d means that when we act, we act because that is how G-d behaves — not because of some other motive. And what does it mean to say G-d “behaves” a certain way? It means G-d considers a given behavior to be the proper one — not because the recipient deserves reward or punishment, and not because G-d possesses some trait like “kindness” and therefore acts kindly out of that trait. Rather, G-d acts a certain way simply because He deems it the proper behavior.

The Example of a King

Consider a king. When a king does something for the people of his kingdom, he doesn’t act out of personal kindness because he happens to be a “good king.” He acts because he judges it to be the correct action — building a bridge, constructing a road, whatever his kingdom needs. Likewise, when he decides to punish someone, he isn’t reacting emotionally to what that person did. As king, he stands above such reactions; he punishes because he judges it to be the proper response, according to his understanding of what the kingdom requires — even when the decision is a hard one.

G-d’s “Emotions” and Actions

The same principle applies to G-d. G-d has no emotions that are stirred by our behavior — He isn’t “made happy” by our good deeds, even though we speak this way, especially to children, and even though it appears this way in many texts. In truth, none of G-d’s actions are reactions to being affected by us. Everything He does flows from His judgment of what is the proper behavior toward His creation. We cannot enter His mind to understand why a given behavior is proper — that, so to speak, is His concern — but He acts because He has determined it to be correct. He is, so to speak, the King.

Human Nature vs. Divine Action

Human beings are not like this. We have inborn qualities: some of us lean toward kindness, others toward strictness. And we act out of reaction — someone yells at us, and a fight breaks out, because we are affected by what comes at us from the outside. We have a natural, habitual way of responding to things.

Transcending Nature to Act Properly

This means that emulating G-d, put simply, requires us to learn to do the proper thing rather than acting from the stimulus of the moment or from our own inborn nature. We should act a certain way because that is how G-d acts — not out of habit, not because “that’s just how I am.” And the way to achieve this is to go beyond our nature. Even in a situation where your instinct says kindness isn’t called for, go beyond that instinct — transcend it — and act with kindness, because that is the proper behavior for that situation. Conversely, even when you feel anger rising and think you must lash out, stop. Go beyond your natural reaction and ask: is this response the proper one for the situation, yes or no? That question — and the answer to it — is the essence of the commandment to emulate G-d.

Learning G-d’s Way Through the Torah

Emulating G-d means going beyond our own nature to act in G-d’s way — the proper way. And if someone asks, “How do I know what G-d would do?” — the answer is simple: look in the Torah. See how God acts there, and from that we learn the proper behavior for ourselves.

The Middle Path

Maimonides adds a further, more detailed point: the proper way is the middle path. Extremes are almost always out of balance — never the correct approach. The right path is the middle one: get angry only when anger is truly warranted, show kindness only where kindness is truly called for, and so on. The middle path is always the correct, proper path — and it is G-d’s path. Since we are meant to constantly strive to emulate G-d, this means walking the middle way, and more specifically, choosing the proper behavior even when it runs against our natural inclination.

Revealing G-d’s Presence in the World

By walking in the path of G-d, we ensure that His presence becomes revealed in this world — speedily, in our days, with the coming of the Messiah.

Good Shabbos.

Talk from Rabbi Tuvia Serber

The above is a representation of the spoken text converted to written text.