A man was once speaking to the Rebbe, praising someone else for his good character. He said that the other was arintlach (ethical).

The Rebbe replied that it is inapt to call a Jew ethical. The nations of the world, who may have a morality determined by common sense and fairness, which can be called ethical.

But the Jews are a holy people (Isaiah 62:12) and we keep moral commandments that are logical and fair, but do so not for reasons of ethics. Our Creator gave us a Torah. We keep the commandments because they were decreed by God and not for any logical or moral reasons.

It is written in the words of King David, “Derech mitzvotekha arutz – The way of Your commandments I will run” (Psalms 119:32).

There are commandments and customs that involve morality. These are a way of life. King David calls them “the way.” One would follow these ways on the basis of ethical fairness alone. For example, an ethical person would abstain from stealing, even without a Divine commandment. King David spoke of such commandments called “the way.” He said of them, “Of Your commandments I will run”: I will not keep these commandments because they are moral, but because they are “Your commandments.” It is for this reason that I run to keep them.

“The way” includes commandments that are ethically logical. But I do not follow “the way” because it is proper and ethical. “The way of Your commandments I will run”: I run to keep them because You decreed them in Your Torah.

The Talmud states, “Only the Jews are called ‘Adam’” and not the idolators (Yebamot 61a).

“Derech Mitzvotecha Arutz – The way of Your commandments I will run”: The first letters of the Hebrew words form spell out ADaM(man). Israel is a holy people and they are called Adam. They do not keep mitzvot because they may be logical or ethical, but because they are decreed by God. ¹⁸⁹, which incidentally was also called Likutey Moharan, was published together with the Sipurey Ma'asiot in 5576/1816 in Ostrog. It only went as far as this sichah. The rest was added on in the next edition. See Alim LeTerufah #17, where Reb Noson writes that a certain Reb Ber of Lipovitz had a number of the Rebbe's writings.

footnotes: ¹⁸⁹ The original edition of the Sichot