"You will prostrate yourselves from a distance" (Exodus 24:1). Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev reads this verse not as a physical instruction about how far to stand from Mount Sinai, but as a statement about the two fundamental modes of relating to God: distance and nearness.
"Distance" (rachok, רחוק) in relation to God means acknowledging that no created intelligence can truly comprehend the Creator. Our thoughts are themselves creations. They cannot step outside their own nature to grasp what lies beyond it. Even the highest angels, however "close" they may be to God, cannot perceive His essence. This distance is not measured in miles. It is measured in the gap between finite perception and infinite reality.
"Nearness" (karov, קרוב) means believing that God is omnipresent, filling every corner of every universe, present in every moment and every place without exception.
The righteous person, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak insists, must hold both truths simultaneously. God is utterly beyond comprehension and intimately present everywhere. "Peace to the distant and to the near, says the Lord" (Isaiah 57:19). God welcomes those who affirm both articles of faith. And because of their belief, God supplies beneficial input to all parts of His universe.
These two modes correspond to the two pillars of Jewish worship. Awe (yirah, יראה) relates to distance. You stand in awe of what is above you, what you cannot fully grasp. Love (ahavah, אהבה) relates to nearness. You love what is close to you, what you can feel and embrace. When the Torah commands prostration "from a distance," it is prescribing the awe that comes from recognizing the infinite gap between creature and Creator. And when the Torah invites closeness through mitzvot (commandments), it is activating the love that arises from knowing God is right here, as near as your next breath.