Refining character before receiving the Torah

כמעשה א"מ כו' את משפטי תעשו כו'.

"Like the practice of the land of Mitzrayim… do not do; and My statutes you shall perform, etc." (Vayikra 18:3-4).

The parsha opens by warning Bnei Yisrael not to imitate the corrupt practices of Mitzrayim and Canaan, and to keep Hashem's mishpatim instead.

הוא הקדמה לתקן המעשים כמ"ש במ"א פי' כמעשה א"מ ל"ת הוא שלא יתדמה מעשה איש ישראל למעשי הרשעים.

This is an introduction to rectifying one's deeds, as I have explained elsewhere: the meaning of "like the practice of Mitzrayim do not do" is that the conduct of a Jew should not resemble the deeds of the wicked.

Before one can perform Hashem's mitzvos properly, there must be a prerequisite: a Jew's behavior must be distinct from that of the resha'im.

והוא תיקון המדות כענין דרך ארץ קדמה לתורה.

And this is the rectification of one's middos (character traits), in the manner of "derech eretz precedes Torah."

Refining one's character is the necessary groundwork that must come before receiving and fulfilling Torah.

פרישות מקנאה תאוה כבוד.

Withdrawal from jealousy, desire, and honor.

This tikkun ha'middos specifically means distancing oneself from the three traits — kinah, ta'avah, and kavod — that "remove a person from the world."

וע"ז ניתקן ימי הספירה תיקון המידות להיות ראוין אח"כ לקבל התורה.

And for this the days of Sefirah were established — the rectification of the middos, so as to become fit afterward to receive the Torah.

Sefiras HaOmer is precisely the period of refining one's character so that one becomes worthy to receive the Torah on Shavuos.

ויש לכל אדם מקודם לחפש אחר המטמוניות שבו.

And every person must first search out the hidden things within himself.

The work begins with honest introspection — uncovering the concealed flaws buried within one's own heart.

כי החוחים מסבבין תמיד גם בלב.

For the thorns constantly surround — even within the heart.

Negative traits are like thorns entangling a person, lurking even in the inner recesses of the heart.

וכשמיגעין עצמן לזכות לטהרה ומפשפשין במעשיהם מרגישין המקומות הצריכין תיקון.

And when one toils to attain purity and examines one's deeds, one comes to sense the places that require rectification.

Through sincere effort toward taharah and careful self-examination, a person becomes aware of exactly where he needs to repair.

וע"ז נאמר בתחבולות תעשה לך מלחמה.

And about this it is said: "with strategies you shall wage war for yourself" (Mishlei 24:6).

Battling these inner flaws requires cunning and strategy, not brute force alone.

כנראה שאינו מרגיש המלחמה.

As it appears, the person does not even feel the war.

The yetzer hara's deepest danger is that its presence is hidden — one is at war without realizing it.

וצריך תחבולות להוציא השנאה של היצה"ר הצפון בלב:

And one needs strategies to draw out the hatred of the yetzer hara that is concealed in the heart.

Because the yetzer hara's enmity lies hidden within, only deliberate strategy can expose and uproot it.

Summary: The prohibition against imitating the deeds of Mitzrayim and Canaan teaches that rectifying one's middos — withdrawing from jealousy, desire, and honor — is the prerequisite for receiving Torah, which is the avodah of Sefiras HaOmer. Since negative traits hide like thorns within the heart and one may not even sense the battle, a person must engage in honest self-examination and employ deliberate strategy to expose and uproot the concealed yetzer hara.