## Tzava'at HaRivash Chapter 1

###### Tzava'at HaRivash 1:1
[Tzava'at HaRivash 1:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tzava%27at%20HaRivash/r/1:1)

**צוואת הריב"ש ע"ה.** להיות תמים בעבודתו יתברך עבודה תמה ועיקר שלא לשכוח הדברים. ועיקר ללמוד בכל יום שיעור מוסר הן רב הן מעט.

**The Way of The Baal Shem Tov. Adapted into English by Rabbi Amiram Markel and Yehudah Shimon Markel, 2020:**
Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem, peace be upon him, taught us to be wholehearted in our service of *HaShem*, blessed is He and to serve Him with simplicity.¹ Of primary importance is not to forget the Commandments we received directly from *HaShem*at *Chorev*² (*Aseret HaDvarim-עשרת הדברים*),³, your God, at *Chorev* etc.” and to study teachings of *Mussar*, that deal with developing good character traits and right conduct, on a daily basis, whether one studies a little or a lot.

footnotes:
¹ Deuteronomy 18:13 and Rashi there.
² Mount Sinai
³ Deuteronomy 4:9-10 – “Only beware for yourself and greatly beware for your soul, lest you forget the things that your eyes have beheld and lest you remove them from your heart all the days of your life, and make them known to your children and your children’s children – the day that you stood before HaShem


###### Tzava'at HaRivash 1:2
[Tzava'at HaRivash 1:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Tzava%27at%20HaRivash/r/1:2)

ולראות א"ע תמיד להדבק א"ע במדות טובות והנהגות ישרות ושלא יניח שום יום מעשיית מצוה הן קלה הן חמורה. וסימנך הוי זהיר במצוה קלה כבחמורה פירש זהיר מלשון והמשכילים יזהירו. ר"ל הנשמה תזהיר ותאיר ממצוה קלה כבחמורה כי רחמנא ליבא בעי:

**The Way of The Baal Shem Tov. Adapted into English by Rabbi Amiram Markel and Yehudah Shimon Markel, 2020:**
Make sure to always adhere to good character traits and right conduct and do not let a day go by without doing a *mitzvah*-commandment, be it a minor *mitzvah* or a major one. The mnemonic by which to remember this is the verse,⁴ “Be as radiant-*Zahir*-*זהיר* from a minor *mitzvah* as from a major one.” The word *Zahir*-*זהיר,*which is usually translated as “careful,” is related, in its root, to the terminology of the verse,⁵ “And they that are wise will be radiant-*Yazhiru*-*יזהירו*as the radiance-*Zohar-זהר*of the firmament.” This is to say that the soul should be as radiant and illuminated by the performance of a minor *mitzvah* as from a major one, for “the Merciful One desires the heart.”⁶

footnotes:
⁴ Mishnah Avot 2:1
⁵ Daniel 12:3
⁶ Zohar Vol. 2, 162b; Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 106b.