Musar su Levitico 26:3

אם בחקותי תלכו ועשיתם אותם . The word Otam is spelled without the letter ו, so that it can be read Attem "you" instead. The Zohar (Sullam edition page 7) explains that when Israel performs G–d's laws G–d considers them as if they had created G–d Himself, so to speak. I have enlarged on this theme in a number of places.

Now we can also understand Midrash Rabbah Vayikra in section 35, concerning Leviticus 26,3: "If you observe My commandments and carry them out;" Rabbi Chama said in the name of Rabbi Chanina that the meaning is that if you observe the Torah laws, I, (G–d) will consider this for you as if you had carried them out, the word אותם meaning the same as אתם, you." Rabbi Chaninah son of Pappa said that you will be considered as though you had created them yourselves, and, by extension, have created yourselves. Rabbi Chiyah taught: "He who studies to perform, not he who studies in order not to perform- for in such an instance it were better he had never been created. Rabbi Yochanan says that if someone studies with the intention of not performing, he should have had the afterbirth flung in his face so that he would not have been born alive. Rabbi Acha says that he who studies in order to perform (the commandments) will have the merit of welcoming the Holy Spirit. How do we know this? It is written in Joshua 1,8: למען תשמור לעשות ככל הכתוב בו, כי אז תצליח את דרכך ואז תשכיל. "So that you may observe faithfully all that is written therein (the Torah). Only then will you prosper in your undertakings and only then will you be successful." The expression תשכיל means that one is granted Holy Spirit as we know from Psalms 89,1: משכיל לאיתן האזרחי "An inspired statement by Eytan the Ezrahite." Thus far the Midrash in Vayikra.

Let us now examine in what way the different Rabbis quoted in this Midrash differ. What nuances in the verse did each Rabbi find that he based his comment on? The central theme mentioned in the verse is "ועשיתם אתם." The word אתם seems superfluous. Even the word ועשיתם, is not needed, since the Torah could simply have said ואת מצותי תשמרו ותעשו. Why did the Torah have to say: ועשיתם אתם? Rabbi Chanina seems to explain this verse in the sense that I have written, that preoccupation with Torah should be לשמה, as I have defined; he will then be considered as having done the many things that he was unable to actually perform. The word תשמרו which precedes the word ועשיתם, would refer to study of Torah just as Rashi explained in Deut. 4,6: ושמרתם refers to study, ועשיתם to performance. The word שמירה would even include someone waiting patiently for the opportunity to perform a certain מצוה to present itself.