Musar su Levitico 24:11

It is nonetheless true that G–d personally performed these judgments on the firstborn of Egypt. The distinction of both Moses and the Jewish people at that time was that the people were prepared to become G–d's people, i.e. army, and that the שכינה was ready to resume residence on earth because by their absorption of Torah precepts and their performance of good deeds, the people of Israel had repaired the damage that had previously caused the שכינה to withdraw. Service to G–d is something that is "needed" by G–d, as we know from the Zohar's comment on ועשיתם, read attem. When someone performs all the commandments, G–d considers this as if that someone had in a sense "made Him." Our sages have stated, that when Israel performs the will of G–d, it adds strength to the גבורה in the Celestial Regions. We find such a concept applicable in Samuel II 8,13: ויעש דוד שם, "David made a Name." One can add lustre to someone's name; this is another way of "making" such a person. This is the very reverse of what a רשע, evil person, does by this wickedness. Such a person is described as נקב השם, having pierced or perforated the Shem, name of G–d, as we know from Leviticus 24,11. Cursing G–d is tantamount to perforating His image. This דרש is lengthy, and I shall explain it in its proper place.

Rabbi Acha understands the words ועשיתם אתם according to a Kabbalistic interpretation that performance of the Sacrificial Service is something required by Heaven. This is based on the perception that by performing מצות Israel enhances the honour and glory of G–d. This is also the approach followed by the Zohar in its commentary on the words ועשיתם אתם. The following is a quotation from that passage in the Zohar, (Sullam edition page 7) on Bechukotai: G–d says: "If someone performs the commandments and walks in My paths, it is as if he had made the heavens, had made ME and preserved ME." This is derived from the defective spelling of Otam without the letter ו, so that the reading is "you have made (them) yourselves," i.e. you have constructed the fabric of the Name of G–d which is Torah. Rabbi Shimon explained Samuel II 8,13: ויעש דוד שם בשובו מהכותו את ארם בגיא מלח, "David made a name when he returned from defeating Aram at the valley of salt." Did David "make a name?" The meaning is that because David complied with G–d's instructions and walked in His paths, he made a name for G–d. No other king in the world achieved this merit. David used to rise from his bed at midnight singing the praises of G–d, until G–d Himself, i.e. His Holy Name arose on His throne at dawn, a reference to the emanation מלכות. We have learned in Leviticus 24,11 that the reverse is possible also, when the Torah says, ויקוב בן האשה הישראלית את השם ויקלל "The son of the Israelite woman made a hole in the name (of G–d) by cursing it." This source is the reason we can interpret the verse in Samuel as we did. This is also why the Torah writes in Leviticus 26,3 ועשיתם אתם, meaning that if you perform them (the commandments), the result will be that you improve His Name. Thus far the Zohar.

We must appreciate that when G–d created different worlds, He named, i.e. formed and defined them by means of a combination of the letters of the alphabet. Our sages say that Betzalel understood the mystery of the combinations of all of these letters which make up the names [definitions] of all things found in this world (Berachot 55 based on the word שם in Exodus 35,30). Early man, who was still בצלם אלוקים, was still able to understand the significance of the names of G–d, and used these names to serve Him in holiness and love in order to cleave to Him. This condition came to an end with the generation of Enosh, as we have explained earlier based on Bereshit Rabbah. When we read in Genesis 4,26 that during the lifetime of Enosh אז הוחל לקרא בשם ה', "then one began to profane the name of the Lord," the meaning is that people no longer used His Name in holiness but desecrated it. The expression הוחל indicates something that is profane, חולין. This situation continued until the advent of the deluge. When the Torah speaks about המה הגבורים אשר היו מעולם אנשי השם, "they were the heroes of old, men of the "Name" (Genesis 6,4), this means that these people used the name of G–d to manipulate the universe, as described in the Zohar, Sullam edition page 209. The expression אנשי השם in Genesis, and the expression ויקוב את השם in Leviticus 24,11, where the Torah refers to the blasphemer, suggests a similar misuse of the Holy Name of G–d in both instances. It was the ability of these people to use G–d's name in order to manipulate it that made them disregard the warnings of an impending deluge. All this is described at greater length in the Zohar. We find that the people of Jerusalem are described by the prophet Ezekiel 12,19 as also having displayed misplaced optimism concerning the prophecies of doom by Jeremiah. The people's very knowledge of G–d's name was what misled them. This is the justification for the reference in Ezekiel to these people as "dwellers in ruins" when in fact they were still dwelling in Jerusalem.