Mitzvos rebuild man's immortal spiritual form

בפסוק אשר יעשה אותם האדם וחי בהם.

On the verse, "which a person shall do, and live by them" (Vayikra 18:5).

The Sefas Emes examines the promise that one who keeps the mitzvos will "live by them."

פי' חז"ל לעוה"ב דבעוה"ז סופו מת.

Chazal explained it as referring to the World to Come, for in this world one ultimately dies.

Since everyone eventually dies in this world, "and live by them" must refer to the eternal life of Olam Haba.

כי המצות הם מתקנים צלם האדם הפנימי רמ"ח ושס"ה.

For the mitzvos rectify the inner tzelem (form/image) of man — the 248 and the 365.

The 248 positive mitzvos and 365 prohibitions correspond to the 248 limbs and 365 sinews; the mitzvos repair a person's inner spiritual form.

וכשזוכה אדם לזה המלבוש אין מיתה שולט בו כמו שהי' לאדה"ר קודם החטא.

And when a person merits this garment, death has no dominion over him, as was the case for Adam HaRishon before the sin.

This inner spiritual "garment," woven from the mitzvos, restores the deathless state Adam enjoyed before the cheit.

אך אחר החטא נתלבש בגוף שיש בו מיתה.

But after the sin, he was clothed in a body in which there is death.

The sin caused man to be enclothed in a mortal physical body subject to death.

וע"י המצות זוכין למלבוש הראשון.

And through the mitzvos one merits the original garment.

Performing mitzvos rebuilds the original, immortal spiritual garment that was lost.

וגם פי' זה נכלל באשר יעשה אותם פי' באמצעיותם נעשה ציור האדם.

And this interpretation, too, is included in "which he shall do them" — meaning, through them the form of man is fashioned.

"Doing the mitzvos" can be read as: by means of the mitzvos, the very spiritual form of the person is constructed.

וגם כפשוטו שע"י המצות נעשה כלי לקבל חיות שאין בו מיתה כדכתיב ויפח באפיו נשמת חיים.

And also according to its plain sense: that through the mitzvos one becomes a vessel to receive a life-force in which there is no death, as it is written, "and He breathed into his nostrils a breath of life" (Bereishis 2:7).

On a simple level, the mitzvos turn a person into a fitting vessel to hold the deathless Divine life-force that Hashem originally breathed into man.

א"כ לא שייך מיתה.

If so, death does not apply.

Once a person holds this Divine, immortal life-force, death has no place in him.

רק שע"י החטא נאבד מאתנו כלי הראשונה ובעוה"ב נזכה לזה בהכנת המצות.

It is only that through the sin the original vessel was lost from us, and in the World to Come we will merit this through the preparation of the mitzvos.

The cheit cost us that original immortal vessel; the mitzvos we do now are the preparation that will restore it to us in Olam Haba.

וכתיב כאן יעשה.

And here it is written "shall do" (ya'aseh).

The Sefas Emes notes the word "ya'aseh" (will do/make) used here.

וכתיב התם עין לא ראתה כו' יעשה למחכה.

And there it is written, "no eye has seen... He will do (ya'aseh) for the one who waits for Him" (Yeshayahu 64:3).

The same root "ya'aseh" appears in the verse about the unseen reward Hashem "will do" for those who await Him — linking our "doing" of mitzvos to the future reward.

הרמז כי עין הוא ציור ודמות.

The hint is that "eye" denotes a form and image.

The "eye" represents visible form and likeness — that which can be seen and depicted.

ועתידין בנ"י להתלבש בציור רוחניי שאין מושג לשום ברי' כמ"ש זולתך.

And Bnei Yisrael are destined to be clothed in a spiritual form that no creature can grasp, as it says, "besides You" (Yeshayahu 64:3).

In the future, Yisrael will wear a spiritual form so exalted that "no eye has seen it" — beyond the comprehension of any created being.

וכמ"ש ז"ל שעתידין בנ"י לומר לפניהם קדוש.

And as Chazal said, that the angels are destined to say "kadosh" before Bnei Yisrael.

So lofty will this future form be that even the angels will declare Yisrael's holiness.

והכל באמצעיות המצות בעוה"ז.

And all of this is through the medium of the mitzvos in this world.

This entire exalted future is earned solely through the mitzvos performed here in this world.

והנה שבת אמרו חז"ל שהוא מעין עוה"ב ולכן נתגלה בו מעין ציור וצלם הנ"ל לכן אמרו אין דומה מאור פניו של אדם כו':

And behold, Chazal said that Shabbos is a taste of the World to Come; therefore there is revealed on it a taste of the form and tzelem mentioned above — hence they said that the glow of a person's face is not the same on Shabbos as on a weekday.

Since Shabbos is a foretaste of Olam Haba, a glimmer of that future immortal spiritual form already shines through, which is why a person's face radiates differently on Shabbos.

Summary: "And live by them" refers to eternal life, because the mitzvos rectify and reconstruct man's inner spiritual form — the 248 and 365 corresponding to his limbs and sinews. This is the original immortal "garment" that Adam wore before the sin and that we lost when clothed in a mortal body; the mitzvos make a person a fit vessel for the deathless Divine life-force breathed into him at creation. Through the mitzvos of this world, Yisrael will ultimately be clothed in a spiritual form so exalted that no eye has seen it and even angels will proclaim their holiness — and a taste of this radiant form already appears on Shabbos, the foretaste of Olam Haba.