Tehillim 119:32
דֶּרֶךְ-מִצְוֺתֶיךָ אָרוּץ כִּי תַרְחִיב לִבִּי
derech-mitzvoteicha arutz ki tarchiv libi
I will run the way of [pursue] Your commandments, for You thus enlarge my heart [broaden my understanding].
If You will grant me the breadth of mind and heart to understand everything, then "I will pursue Your commandments, for You thus broaden my understanding." Figuratively, David Hamelech says: Although running usually constricts the heart, here the opposite will happen. "I will run the way of Your commandments, for You thus enlarge my heart."
If You will not shame me (119:31), "I will run the way of Your commandments, for You thus enlarge my heart." But if one is heavy with fear, his legs do not obey him.
We have learned in the Tractate Avot:
Ben Azzai says, "Run to [perform] a slight mitzvah and flee from [committing] a transgression. For one mitzvah draws another mitzvah after it, and a transgression drags another transgression after it. The reward for a mitzvah is the mitzvah, and the reward for a transgression is the transgression.."A person should at all times consider that the particular mitzvah [he has occasion to perfom] is as if running away from him. The yetzer hara hastens it away. He must constantly chase after it, as otherwise he will not reach it.
According to others, David Hamelech says, "I will run" even when "You thus enlarge my heart." That is the difference between the Jewish People and the nations of the world. When they enjoy well-being, they each retire to their vineyards and olive trees. But Klal Yisrael turn their hearts to serving G-d.
Tzaddikim, in general, serve Hashem energetically, and we are encouraged to follow their lead, "I will run the way of Your commandments, for You thus enlarge my heart."
Bamidbar Rabbah 10:5 “The woman (Manoach’s wife) acted with haste and ran”(Shoftim 13:10).
This teaches that all of the tzaddikim’s acts are done with speed. Running is a sign of zeal and eagerness to do something. Never will you see a person running to pay taxes unless he has a profound love for the king or the tax collector.
Rabbi Yehudah gives the following parable:
A man feels ill and goes to the doctor. The doctor doesn't ask if he is eating on a regular basis, because his presence clearly tells the doctor that he is eating enough to sustain himself. The doctor will surely ask if he has an appetite, because an appetite is a sign of good health. So it is with serving Hashem. If you want to know whether you are spiritually healthy, look at how eager you are to do mitzvot.
- Me'am Lo'ez; Rabbi Reuven Semah; Rabbi Yitzchak Hirshfeld
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