What the sources say
Layer by layer
Devarim 6:24Direct Source
Hashem commanded us to do all these laws “for our good, always, to keep us alive.”
Vayikra Rabbah 13:3Direct Source
The mitzvot were given only to refine people.
Rambam, Guide for the Perplexed III:31Classical Interpretation
The Rambam holds that every commandment has a reason and a benefit for us, even when we do not know what it is.
Pirkei Avot 4:2Direct Source
“One mitzvah brings another mitzvah… the reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah.”
Tanya, chapter 23Later Tradition
The Tanya teaches that the mitzvot are Hashem’s will itself, so a person doing a mitzvah is bound up with Hashem at that moment.
Take it into your day
You don’t need to understand every mitzvah to start. Do one today and notice what it changes in you.
More big questions
What happens to the soul after death?Read →Do we have free will?Read →Why do good people suffer?Read →What is Mashiach?Read →What does the Zohar actually teach?Read →
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