The verse in Deuteronomy (11:22) tells us "to walk in His ways." But what are the ways of the Holy One, Blessed be He? How do we even begin to emulate the Divine?
Well, Sifrei Devarim 49, drawing upon other sacred texts, offers a beautiful and surprisingly accessible answer. It directs us straight to Exodus (34:6-7): "The L-rd, the L-rd, G-d of mercy and grace, slow to wrath and abundant in mercy and truth, keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving transgression, offense, and sin, and cleansing…" These, the text suggests, are the characteristics we should strive to embody.
Think about it. It’s not about performing impossible miracles or understanding cosmic secrets. It’s about mirroring God's attributes in our own lives. It's about mercy, grace, patience, truth, and boundless lovingkindness.
But how do we actually do that? The text doesn't leave us hanging. It refers to Joel (3:5): "All who will be called by the name of the L-rd will escape." Now, obviously, we can't literally become God. So, what does it mean to be “called by the name of the L-rd”?
The key, Sifrei Devarim suggests, is imitation. Just as the L-rd is called “merciful and gracious,” you, too, should be merciful and gracious, giving freely to all. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, is called “righteous,” as we see in Psalms (145:17) — "Righteous is the L-rd in all His ways and saintly in all His acts" — you, too, should be righteous. And just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, is called “saintly,” you, too, should be saintly.
It's a powerful idea: that by embodying these divine qualities, we actually invoke the Divine name. We become, in a small way, reflections of the Holy One.
This idea resonates throughout Jewish scripture. Isaiah (43:7) tells us "...everyone that is called by My name. For My honor I have created him, and formed him, and fashioned him." We are created, formed, and fashioned for God's honor, to reflect God's light.
And Proverbs (16:4) reinforces this: "The L-rd has created all for His sake." Everything, it seems, has a purpose in the grand scheme, and our purpose, in part, is to mirror the Divine attributes.
So, what does this mean for us today? It means that every act of kindness, every moment of patience, every instance of truth-telling is an opportunity to "walk in His ways." It means that striving to be more merciful, more gracious, more righteous, and more saintly is not just a lofty ideal, but a concrete path to connecting with the Divine.
It's a lifelong journey, of course, and we'll stumble along the way. But the beauty of this teaching is that it reminds us that even in our imperfections, our efforts to emulate the Holy One, Blessed be He, are what truly matter. They are what allow us to be "called by the name of the L-rd" and, in doing so, to find our own path to escape, to meaning, and to purpose.