The Commandments
Many mitzvot are delineated in this week's Torah portion, Ki Teitzei, including the commandments to return a lost article, aiding a fallen animal, and the prohibition against wearing a mixture of wool and linen (shatnez). The portion also contains the mitzva: "When you build a new home, you must place a guard rail around your roof." Let us explore the inner meaning of this commandment.
In a broader sense, building a new home connotes the beginning of a new chapter in one's life, the commencement of a new form of Divine service. Accordingly, the old guard rails and safeguards which were adequate protection up until now no longer suffice, and new ones must be established. The fact that one has thus far been able to withstand temptation has no bearing on the future. When a person embarks on a new path, he encounters situations and circumstances with which he is entirely unfamiliar. Thus, in order to ensure his safety, it is necessary that he set up stronger "fences" around his behavior and demand even greater stringency of himself when it comes to mitzva observance.
This scenario is played out within the context of the Jew's daily existence. Every morning the Jew begins his day with prayer, followed by a period of Torah study. Before going off to work, he must set for himself the proper "guard rails" to ensure that "he not bring blood upon his house" and that "no one fall," i.e., that his business dealings are conducted according to Torah law.
Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of Chabad Chasidism, said, "A Jew has to live with the times." He meant that a Jew must live with the weekly Torah reading. Each portion of the Torah contains halachot (Jewish laws), mitzvot and stories that are especially relevant to the week when it is read. We "live with the times" when we derive practical direction and guidance from the weekly portion and apply it in our own personal lives.
We are now in the Hebrew month of Elul. The Previous Rebbe once stated: "Every Rosh Hashana a Jew must do something to enhance his observance of positive mitzvot, be more cautious when it comes to the negative ones, and improve his behavior."
This applies even if one's previous conduct has been more than exemplary, for as an entirely new light comes down into the world on Rosh Hashanah, each person must accordingly demand and receive more of himself, erecting new "guard rails" in consonance with the new level of illumination.
Adapted from Volume 2 of Likutei Sichot
