Accepting the Yoke of Heaven
The concept of “G d desiring to have a dwelling place in the lower worlds” is a profound idea. During the giving of the Torah, G d allowed the lower and higher realms to connect. This enabled humanity to fulfill the purpose for which G d created the world: to create a dwelling place for Him in the physical realm through every human being that accepts the yoke of heaven. What does it mean to accept the yoke of heaven?
The phrase “dwelling place” refers to a place where G d’s presence can be felt and experienced. The lower worlds represent our physical reality, where we face challenges, make choices, and strive to elevate our actions. By performing the 7 commandments and acts of kindness, we create a “dwelling place” for G d in our everyday lives. Our actions reveal His presence. Our world, with its challenges and imperfections, provides us with the wonderful opportunity to choose goodness, connect ourselves with the infinite essence of the creator, and elevate the mundane. In doing so, we make a dwelling place for G d.
Each of us, man and woman, has a role in making the world a dwelling place for G d and this is the ultimate meaning of life.
When we transform our lives through positive deeds, we reveal G d’s presence in our world. But there is no void in spirituality. If the good is missing, all the dark forces and bad attitudes might get into our lives. So we must fill ourselves constantly with the pure content of the wisdom of G-d as reflected in the seven Noahide commandments.
We need to keep in mind that a servant of the king is close to the king. This is the meaning of accepting the yoke of heaven. Even though we cannot understand everything because we are limited creatures, we trust G-d that He will give us the best way, as He is the ultimate good. If someone offered you closeness to the greatest king of kings, would you accept it? By observing the seven Noahide laws in our daily lives, we deserve the ultimate gift of closeness to G-d by fulfilling His commandments.
*This is from a series of articles by Rabbi Bernstein Moshe.