There is so much philosophy in the opening verse of our parasha! “If you will walk in my statutes, and observe my ordinances….” Statutes, chukim, are laws that define rational explanation such as not wearing wool and linen together. The Hebrew root word indicate that “ordinances” are all the other laws of the Torah, both interpersonal and between humans and G-d, that can be rationally explained.
Given this analysis, the wording of this verse is challenging. The use of the word “walking” generally indicates a level of comfort or familiarity with an activity in the Bible. Most famously we are told in the Shema: “and when you walk by the road….” or “what does G-d desire of you, but only that you walk in G-d’s ways….” But, how can we “walk with G-d’s statutes”—how can we comfortably follow commandments as irrational as not buying clothes in which wool and linen are mixed? Or, as Maimonides notes, if milk comes from a cow, then why can we not mix milk and meat? That is why he suggests that the laws of kashrut are also chukim—laws that cannot be fully explained through rational analysis.
Intelligent Judaism seeks to inculcate certain habits of mind to its adherents through actions which we term “mitzvoth.” The Creator understands his/her creations all too well: in every age we humans have proved overly quick to claim understanding of and mastery over the natural world. It is only recently that reflective scientists are following in Einstein’s path and admitting that there is much that cannot be explained and may always remain unexplainable. Therein waits the Divine presence. To offer a simple example: a casual walk through the ROM or a browse through the literature will only show the limits and limitations of the theory of evolution. That doesn’t mean that the theory is completely wrong, only that there is much it cannot explain and—I fervently believe—never will account for. That margin of scientific irrationality is the abode of the Divine. That is what the prophet meant when he said: “search for the L-rd where He may be found…”
By this definition, there is a Creator, and what does the Creator ask of Intelligent Jews? That we commit to a two pronged program of self-improvement and deep reflection. The former is readily accomplished (though not simply achieved) through performance of the mitzvoth. This is what our verse means when it speaks of “observing my ordinances.” But the second part of this program—being convinced of the presence of a Creator intellectually and spiritually—is very challenging. Nevertheless the Torah raises the bar very very high indeed by insisting that we “walk in the statutes,” that we become comfortable, that we become habituated to even regarding mitzvoth like mixing wool and linen as simply reminders that we as humans are divinely created, yet we are still very far from the Divine.
Achieving a comfortable “walking level” with this humbling fact is very difficult. We live in an age drowning in details where people desperately seek simple categorization and distillation of knowledge into simple and popular narratives— hence the success of CNN .We must also suspend our all too human compulsion to aggrandize ourselves and think we are masters of nature. Certainly the recent weather related tragedies experienced by so many people indicate how our technology still pales against the forces of nature. That is why “walking in my statutes” requires, like any other habit, reflection and practice to succeed, a process that may take years. But then, what else is life for? And what other purpose does Shabbat serve, save setting aside and valuable time for reconnecting with our families, friends, and psyches?