<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 16px; ">When my father was four or five years old he went to his grandfather, </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 16px; ">the Tzemach Tzedek, on Shabbat Vayeira, and began to cry as he asked: </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 16px; ">"Why did God show Himself to our father Avraham - but He does not show Himself to us?" </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 16px; ">The Tzemach Tzedek answered him: "When a <i>tzadik</i> decides at the age of ninety-nine years </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 16px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">that he should be circumcised, he deserves that God appear to him." </span></font><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; "> </span></font></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 16px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; ">From </span></font><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; ">Likutei Sichot Vol. 1</span></font></span></span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 16px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 16px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; ">The Torah tells us that Avraham educated his household to observe and maintain the "way of God," but there is no </div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; ">elaboration as to what exactly this path entails.<span> </span>What was it that Avraham commanded his children and household to do?</div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; ">The simplest way of understanding this expression is to interpret "the way of God" as the attempt to imitate God and to behave </div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; ">in the way that He appears to us to behave, as our Sages teach in several places:</div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; ">Just as the Almighty is called "merciful" and "compassionate," so should you be merciful and compassionate, and be selflessly </div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; ">giving to all.<span> </span>Just as the Holy One is called "saintly". so should you be saintly.<span> </span>Just as the Holy One is called "righteous". so should you be righteous. (Sifri, Eikev 49)</div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; ">Just as He clothes the naked. so should you clothe the naked.<span> </span>The Holy One visited the sick. likewise you should visit the sick.<span> </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; ">The Holy One comforted mourners. so should you comfort mourners.<span> </span>The Holy One buried the dead. so should you bury the dead. (Sota 14a)</div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; ">rw</div></span></span></font></div></div></body></html>