Essentials of Judaism — The Path of Transformation

The following is an essay I penned for my Religions of the Western World class at Rutgers University conducted by Professor James Pavlin. It is on the role of the Mitzvot and Halakhah in regards to guiding the soul through
the Jewish Path to Transformation. I present this forth to all as a gift in commemoration of Rosh Hashanah.

The Path of Transformation in Judaism begins with repentance. In its entirety, the Judaic Path of Transformation is
a life devoted to abiding by the Torah, that is, the Divine Law. In other words, the Jewish Path of Transformation is the fulfillment of God's Law.

In order for this to be done, one must follow the Mitzvot, that is, the Commandments, laid down unto Man by God through the Torah. It is the discipline one must uphold in order to purify themselves and reconcile with the Lord.

The role of the Halakhah in this is to explain to the one in the Path to Transformation how the Mitzvot applies to
their lives. It lays out the way one must fulfill the Commandments by daily life governing nearly every aspect of
the person's life, all the way from the cradle to the grave. The Halakhah explains how one must relate to God in prayer and worship, what they are allowed to eat and prohibited to not eat, how the food must be prepared, how to marry, have children, die and bury the dead. It simply is the complete guide to a life in accordance to the Will of God. Through these deeds outlined in the Mitzvot and explained how they are to be done in the Halakhah, a person is to
transform themselves via the practice of external behaviors bringing about an internal metamorphosis of the soul.

Now, living by these rules is not the sole purpose of life and Path to Transformation for a Jew. Judaism asks that
the person not only performs the deeds abiding by and fulfilling the Law of God physically but they are also asked to truly intend to do the act by heart. That is, their deeds are to be driven by intention. Fulfilling the Law of God that is laid out in the Mitzvot and elucidated in the Halakhah, then, becomes not only the mission of the flesh but also of
the soul. In other words, as Rabbi Abraham Heschel has stated, "the true goal for man is to be what he does." Through the performance of good deeds, a person absorbs the holiness of their works and themselves become holy, reconciling their spirit with God. That is the Judaic Path of Transformation.



— Fahim Ferdous Kibria