Deuteronômio 13:5 Midrash: Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Midrash Tanchuma, Vayikra Rabbah & Midrash Tehillim

R. Chama b. Chanina said further: "What is the meaning of the passage (Deut. 13, 5) Before the Lord thy God shall ye walk. How is it possible that a man should walk after the Shechina, behold, it is said (Ib. 4, 24) For the Lord thy God is a devouring fire, a jealous God. We must therefore say that this means walk after the standard habits of the Holy One, praised be He. Just as He clothed the naked; as it is written (Gen. 3, 21) And the Lord God made unto Adam and to his wife coats of skin and clothed them, so also shall you clothe the naked; just as the Holy One, praised be He, visits the sick, as it is written (Ib. 18, 1) And the Lord appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, so also shalt thou visit the sick. The Holy One, praised be He, buries the dead, as it is written (Deut. 34, 6) And he buried him in the valley, so also shalt thou bury the dead. The Holy One, praised be He, comes to console the mourner, as it is written (Gen. 25, 11) And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac, his son, so also shall thou comfort the mourners. (Ib. 3, 21) And the Lord God made unto Adam and to his wife coats of skins and clothed them. Rab and Samuel differ in the explanation of the above passage, one explains it that the coats were made of a thing that came from skin [wool] and the other says: "This means a thing which a man's body relishes when worn closely to the skin [linens]." R. Samlai lectured: "The Torah begins with meritorious deeds and ends with meritorious deeds; it begins with meritorious deeds, as it is written (Ib. 3, 21) And the Lord God made unto Adam and to his wife coats of skins and clothed them. And it ends with meritorious deeds, as it is written (Deut. 34, 6) And He buried him in the valley."

And God appeared unto Jacob. Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth (Ps. 25:10). When Moses commanded the Israelites: After the Lord your God shall ye walk (Deut. 13:5), he added the words: Walk ever in his ways (ibid. 19:9). “How can one possibly walk in His ways?” they inquired, since it is written: The Lord, in the whirlwind and the storm is His way, and the clouds are the dust of His feet (Neh. 1:3), and Thy way was in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters, and Thy footsteps not known (Ps. 77:20), and A fire devoureth before Him, and round about Him it stormeth mightily (Ps. 50:3). Moses replied to the Israelites: “Have I not informed you also that His ways are ways of mercy, truth, and loving-kindness,” as it is written: All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth (ibid. 25:10).

Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon began: “You shall follow the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 13:5). Is it possible for flesh and blood to follow the Holy One blessed be He? The one in whose regard it is written: “Your way was through the sea, Your path through the mighty waters” (Psalms 77:20). And you say: “You shall follow the Lord”? “And you shall cleave to Him” (Deuteronomy 13:5). Is it possible for flesh and blood to ascend heavenward and cleave to the Divine Presence? The one in whose regard it is written: “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24), and it is written: “His throne was sparks of fire” (Daniel 7:9), and it is written: “A river of fire flowed and emerged from before Him” (Daniel 7:10). And you say: “And you shall cleave to Him”? Rather, from the beginning of the creation of the world, the Holy One blessed be He engaged only in planting first. That is what is written: “The Lord God planted a garden in Eden” (Genesis 2:8). You, too, when you enter the land, engage only in planting first. That is what is written: “When you will come into the land and plant.”