In Parshat Bechukotai, the term halicha (walking) is used many times in reference to our observance of the mitzvot. The parsha begins, "Im bechukotai teileichu. If you will walk in my statutes." Further on the Hashem writes, "V'hithalachti b'tochechem. I will walk with you." The parsha continues, "Va'olech etchem. I will walk with you."

Later on in the parsha, the Torah presents the other side of the coin. "V'halachtem imi keri. If you will walk with me keri." The Rambam explains that this means we don't recognize Hashem's involvement in our lives. The Torah tells us, "If you walk with me b'keri I will walk with you b'keri." Hashem will respond to us in the way a person conducts himself.

We can follow the halicha of Hashem. The result will be as the Torah describes in the beginning of Bechukotai, "I will dwell among them and walk with them." Rashi comments on this, "I will walk with you in gan eden." Or it can be the opposite, halicha b'keri, which will ultimately lead to terrible consequences.

Hashem told Avraham Avinu, "Kum hithalech b'aretz." Get up and walk the length and breadth of the land. Avraham chose righteousness and walked with Hashem.

May we follow in the footsteps of our forefathers.

A friend talked with me once about her early life. She went through tremendous suffering until she was left with nothing except herself. Why would Hashem do this to a person? There are two ways to understand this very difficult story. The first view is that Hashem sometimes strips us of all extraneous reality because it keeps us from knowingHim.

There's a deeper perspective. Hashem prompts us to make room for our inner self to come forth. For some people, the self is only revealed through adversity.

When Hashem told Avraham to move beyond where he was, He said, "Lech lecha." Rashi explains that lecha means let your true nature be known in the world. Moving from one point to the next, getting rid of every vestige of one's identity, is making who you really are accessible, to yourself and to the world. From this perspective we can understand that all of the suffering in Egypt was meant to help the Jews become aware of their inner beauty, and their connection to Hashem

In Egypt, Hashem revealed Himself to us in order to evoke the goodness within us. Then He retracted so we would rediscover Him by finding the holiness within ourselves.

There were great miracles during matan Torah. The Jews saw thunder and heard lightning. They experienced all sorts of supernatural events that made them recognize that their picture of reality was limited. The miraculous events at Har Sinai were to teach us that Hashem's life force is the interior of all nature. Thunder can just as easily be visual and lightning can be heard if that is the will of Hashem.

This is the meaning of the verse in Tehillim, "The land feared and was quite." The world recognized that Hashem is not just a powerful force outside of us, but the one who maintains our existence from moment to moment.

Humans tend to love each other if there's no impediment. If there is one, we tend to be stopped by it. The Sefat Emet says Hashem works differently. Shir HaShirim describes Hashem as "medaleg al heharim." He leaps over the barriers and goes right to the inside of the person. He doesn't deny or avoid the impediments. He makes a purposeful decision not to relate to them because of his love for us. When Hashem performed countless miracles for us and made our senses function in a supernatural way, he was saying, "I'm here for you inside of every natural event. I want you to reach out to me, to know me, to realize I've been there all along."

When we recognize that Hashem's will enlivens everything, then nature no longer gives us an illusion of separateness from Him. We now see it for what it is, a mirror that shows us Hashem's presence.

Hashem put the mountain over our head and forced us to accept the Torah. We felt the weight of his awesomeness. A person can't say no to Hashem when he has a realization of His presence, only when he's locked up in his own smallness. We were afraid. However, our fear was assuaged by the realization of Hashem's great love for us.

Rav Tzvi Mayer Silberberg teaches that a person's ability to tap into the latent powers of a holiday depends on his preparation. In the three days before Shavuot, we should work towards kedusha (holiness). Whatever you are doing, have that higher consciousness. As you busy yourself with the physical aspects of preparing for yom tov, have in mind that you're doing all this because you want to bring the joy of matan Torah into your life. Then you're taking connecting tothe vitality of Hashem.

The word Shavuot means both oaths and weeks. It relates to the oaths we took. These oaths were the second stage of preparation. We swore to keep the Torah, saying naaseh v'nishma, we will do and then hear. This phrase means I will do the mitzvah first and then I'll understand it. I'll trust Hashem that if He says the way to develop kedusha is by doing this mitzvah then that's what I'll do."

Another step to preparing for Shavuot is identifying what's holding you back from being what you want to be. You can improve. We read Megilat Ruth on Shavuot. Ruth moved from one extreme to the other. The Moabites were known for their cruelty and immorality. Ruth elevated herself to become a model of kindness and modesty. Shavuot is about believing in our abilities. We must recognize that there's something higher and holier that Hashem can see when he looks at us. The barriers are real but one can jump over them and start again.

When the Jews said naaseh v'nishma, Hashem asked who would be their guarantee. They answered the children. Hashem chose to give the Jews the Torah because of the children. Even if the parents fail their children would come back.

We must recognize that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. We have our failings, but we still have the merit of those who came before and those who will come after us. As long as we desire to say I want my kabalat haTorah to be real this time, then we're on our way towards our goal.

Chesed is normally translated as loving kindness, but it's more. A secular government can legislate laws such as not speeding or not killing. It cannot, however, expect people to act in a conjointly sense of 'we' on behalf of the community.

The Rambam teaches that "V'ahavta l'rei'acha kamocha" (Loving ones fellow Jew) means caring about someone's monetary possessions. The mitzvah also includes praising others. However, the Chafetz Chaim cautions us to be careful as excessive praise is likely to generate negative comments.

It can be hard to feel happy for someone when their fortune soars and to feel sad when their situation plummets. To fulfill the mitzvah of V'ahavta l'reicha one must work on obliterating his feelings of jealousy.

The Baal Shem Tov explained this mitzvah to mean that your behavior towards someone else should be based on the other person's likes and dislikes, not your own.

The Gemara explains a pasuk in Chabakuk, "V'hatznea lechet im Elokecha." You shall walk modestly with Hashem. This refers to burying the dead and helping a bride get married. At some weddings the focus is not on the other person but on yourself. What do they think about me? How do I look? V'haznea lechet teaches us that we are there for the other person.

Loving ones fellow Jew includes being hospitable to guests. We should do more than just providing a meal. We should look out for their needs, correct someone for doing something people would consider odd, chastise someone for sinning, lend money or other articles, pray for those in need, save someone from injury, greet people with a happy countenance, teach Torah, and share good news. A craftsman fulfills this mitzvah when he has in mind to do his best work for the benefit of his customer. A doctor fulfills this commandment when he heals someone.

On one of his travels Rav Moshe Leib Sassover entered a tavern. He heard a Russian horse trader say to his companion, "Igor I love you." Igor tearfully replied, "No you don't. If you really loved me you'd know what I am lacking." Rav Moshe Leib learned a great lesson. True ahavat yisrael means being concerned about what the other person is missing and truly caring about them.

The Gemara says, "There are three keys that Hashem did not give over to agents." They are, techiyat hameisim (resurrection of the dead), childbirth, and rain.

One can clearly see Hashem through rain. When there's a drought, people realize that Hashem is in control. Rain is a direct blessing from Him. If it's not coming down, it's because of our sins.

Although Hashem does many miracles for us every day, the best proof that He exists is the Torah. In birchat hamazon we say, "Ki ein machsor l'rei'av." If you fear Hashem, you have no deficiency. Torah brings us to yirat shamayim because Torah demonstrates the existence of the Hashem.

The Gemara says that at Har Sinai the Jews accepted the Torah out of fear. Years later after the Purim miracle they accepted the Torah out of love. Why wasn't there a complete acceptance immediately at Har Sinai? The Torah is a part of creation. Just as we have no control over creation, initially the Torah too had to be against our will so that subsequently we would look at the world through the Torah lens and recognize Hashem on our own.