So it will be, on the
heels of you listening to these judgments of Mine and doing them…that G‑d will
love you, bless you, increase your numbers, bless the fruits of your womb and
the fruits of your land, your grain, your wine, and your oil, the offspring of
your animals and your wealth of sheep… (Deut. 7:12-13)
All mitzvahs can be distributed over a wide
spectrum between two poles:
There are mitzvahs that we judge to be of
practical utility, such as the prohibitions against theft and violence.
Torah calls these mishpatim —judgments —because they engage the discretionary
judgment of our minds and hearts.
And then there are mitzvahs whose reasoning is
entirely beyond us, even contradictory to our...