ייִדישער מחשבֿה אויף משלי 1:9

Abraham, who according to Rabbi Eliezer Hamoda-i, wore a horoscope around his neck, felt that life is being in the presence of G-d’s majesty, observing Him in action and modelling oneself after the attitudes and characteristics manifest in the universe, the universe representing an extension of the essence of G-d. For that reason, Rabbi Eliezer said that wise men from all over were attracted to Abraham, rising early in order to be able to be near him. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, who said that Abraham wore a jewel around his throat, and that whosoever was sick and looked at that jewel became cured immediately, means to tell us that Abraham was not content to act piously, but that he exerted himself to explain to others the reasons for his behavior. This is the significance of the jewel around his throat. Anyone sick in mind, due to feeling the pointlessness of his existence, would be healed upon exposure to Abraham's words and deeds. When G-d removed that jewel from Abraham's throat after his death, as we are told, and transferred it to the sun's orbit, this is an allegorical reference to nature as a whole. Anyone smitten with faulty views about the meaning of life, the universe, and the purpose of his existence, would be able to find answers through the study of astronomy, the motion of the stars in the heavens. He would be forced to conclude that all this was the handiwork of G-d, the Creator, who continues to exert His will on all these heavenly constellations. Malki Tzedek already described G-d as the owner of heaven and earth. Abraham too said, "I raise my hand to the Lord G-d, the supreme Power, owner of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14,22). Since Abraham saw in the universe a hand that guided inexorably, he did not implore G-d in prayer as we do today, thinking that what had been preordained would happen anyways. Abraham learned at the covenant between the pieces that "laws of nature" are only one, albeit most important aspect of G-d’s work, when G-d in answer to his question revealed that horoscopic prescience is not absolute, and that He the Creator reserved the right to change His law whenever He would see fit. Abraham, believing G-d, learned and assimilated a world-shaking truth on that occasion. At that point Abraham wanted to know what guarantee there was that when the time would come, G-d would indeed exercise His prerogative in order to keep a promise that seemed to conflict with natural law. This freedom of action enabled G-d as owner, to distribute the land to whomsoever he saw fit; this is why the Torah starts with "Bereshit,” to announce who it is that has the right to dispossess nations (Psalms 111,6, "The power of His actions He made known to the nations, to allocate to them the inheritance of other nations"). Gradually, as that realization became worldwide, paganism retreated and fatalistic convictions became rare. True, there are still heretics, philosophers even amongst our own people who deny these facts; but this is only poisoned reasoning prompted by the yetzer hara, the evil urge.

And in the chapter “The Morning Prayer” (Berakhot 29b): “Rabbi Eliyahu said to Rabbi Yehuda the brother of Rav Selah Chisda: ‘Don’t get angry and don’t sin; don’t get drunk and don’t sin; and when you go out to the path [to start your journey], consult with your Owner and go out, etc.” Rabbi Yaakov said Rav Chisda said: ‘this is Tefilat HaDerech [the Prayer for the Journey].’” This statement is surprising, for what is the connection between each of these? But this statement comes to inform that one should not remove his cleaving to the Name May He Be Blessed, he should only cleave to him, and regarding this it says don’t get angry and don’t sin. Behold the Name May He Be Blessed created man from body and soul, and the body is the material and the soul is the spiritual and they are opposites, and when man stands as is fitting, without leaning to one side, so the man stands in his equilibrium and cleaves to May He Be Blessed. And this idea is hinted at in [the Hebrew words for] ‘man’ and ‘woman’, because the body is like a woman and the soul is like a man, and the name Yud”Hey is between them when they are together as is fitting. And when the soul, with its strength, deviates from that which is fitting by way of anger; or when the drunkenness of man leads him to the material side to the extreme until he is all material, as was explained above, and when he leans to the material he leaves the center point and removes the cleaving [to G-d]. And because of this it says about these two ‘and don’t sin’, because immediately when a man goes to the extreme [lit. leans to the edge of edges] he leans towards sin, and thus it says, “don’t get angry and don’t sin; don’t get drunk and don’t sin.” And after this it says for there is a side that does not lean to the edge, it is a side of separation and removal from the cleaving: for when it is fitting for him to request the cleaving from May He Be Blessed, and he does not request the cleaving, behold he separates from Him, and this is in the hour where he goes out and the man needs the cleaving - it is the accompaniment - and when he doesn’t request the cleaving behold he separates from the cleaving, for the accompaniment is so that he will have a connection with May He Be Blessed, and He will cleave to the man, and therefore it is called ‘accompaniment’ from the language of “For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head” (Proverbs 1:9), and by way of these three things man does not remove or lean from the Name May He Be Blessed. And we already explained this in the Path of Prayer....

Devarim Rabbah in Parshat Ki Teytze is explicit about how the commandments accompany man wherever he is, since they apply to food, dress, habitation, commerce, etc., in short to every conceivable matter man may at any time be engaged in.