Completing The Mitzvah Properly

שכחתי התחלת המאמר

I have forgotten the opening of this discourse.

The Sfas Emes notes that he no longer recalls how this particular piece originally opened.

וסוף הדברים שי"ל פי' עקב תשמעון ע"פ המד' כל המצוה המתחיל אומרים לו גמור כו'

But as for the conclusion of the matter, one may explain the verse "Eikev tishme'un" ("And it shall be, on account of your hearkening," Devarim 7:12) in light of the Midrash, which teaches that to one who begins a mitzvah, we say to him, "Finish it," and so on.

He proposes reading the words "Eikev tishme'un" through the lens of the Midrash that says when a person starts a mitzvah, he is told to see it through to the end.

כי באמת עיקר קיום המצוה הוא כשיגמור כל המצוה כראוי

For in truth, the essential fulfillment of a mitzvah comes about only when one completes the entire mitzvah in the proper manner.

The real value of a mitzvah is realized only when the entire mitzvah is carried out fully and properly, not merely begun.

כי אם בא לידי גאות ופני' על ידי ההתחלה טוב לו שלא הי' מתחיל כלל

For if, through the beginning of the mitzvah, a person comes to arrogance and to ulterior motives, it would have been better for him had he never begun it at all.

If beginning a mitzvah leads a person into pride or self-serving motives, that beginning was a loss rather than a gain, and he would have been better off not starting.

וז"ש עקב תשמעון שישמעו בסוף קיום המצוה

And this is the meaning of "Eikev tishme'un" ("on account of your hearkening") — that they should hearken at the conclusion of the fulfillment of the mitzvah.

The word "eikev," which connotes the end or heel, hints that the true hearkening and fulfillment must come at the conclusion of the mitzvah.

כי שמיעה לשון הבנה והאזנה:

For "shemiah," hearing, is an expression denoting understanding and giving ear.

The term "shemiah" does not mean mere listening but rather a deeper grasp and attentiveness, an inner understanding that completes the avodah.

Summary: The Sfas Emes, working only from the conclusion of a discourse whose opening he has forgotten, reads the verse "Eikev tishme'un" in light of the Midrash that one who begins a mitzvah is charged to finish it. He explains that the essential fulfillment of any mitzvah lies not in its beginning but in its proper completion, for a mitzvah carried only partway can lead a person into arrogance and ulterior motives, in which case it would have been better never to have begun. The word "eikev," hinting at the end, teaches that the true hearkening belongs to the conclusion of the avodah. And since "shemiah" denotes understanding and giving ear, the proper hearing is an inner attentiveness that brings the mitzvah to its complete and worthy fulfillment.