What are the Six Constant Mitzvot and how do we Practice them?

 

Parashat Mishpatim

What are the Six Constant Mitzvot and how do we Practice them? 

Meditating on the Six Constant Mitzvot Whenever We are Waiting
Many years ago, on one of my international speaking tours, I was staying in a home in South Africa, which was also the home of the family dog. To keep the dog away from certain parts of the house, a tall gate separated my room on one side of the house and the bathroom on the other side. The gate was supposed to remain unlocked during my stay to allow me to use the bathroom. When I awoke in the middle of the night and needed to use the facilities, I, unfortunately, discovered that after the rest of the family had retired, a late arriving family member had accidentally locked the gate. As I didn’t want to wake anyone up, I had no choice but to exit the back door into the garden. When I was ready to return to bed, I found to my horror that the backdoor had shut in a way that locked me out. I was now stranded in the cold garden for who knows how many hours, without a book or anything to do. That’s when I remembered the six constant mitzvot and meditating on them was a consciousness-expanding experience beyond words. Since then whenever I’m waiting for someone or something, I try to use the time by reconnecting with the six constant mitzvot. It is also recommended to make an effort to ponder the Six Constant Mitzvot during the blessing which immediately precedes the Shema each morning.

What are the Six Constant Mitzvot?

There are six mitzvot that apply to all Jews, in all places, at all times, inasmuch as they are “duties of the heart.” These six mitzvot correspond to the six cities of refuge – designated places where an unintentional murderer could flee to escape possible revenge by one of the victim’s family. As a person’s negative impulse is also – with poetic license – referred to as a ‘murderer’ of sorts, these six mitzvot are constant “cities of refuge” where we can ‘flee’ from our negative impulse (Based on an article by Rabbi Ari Enkin). In Parashat Mishpatim we find a reference to the six cities of refuge:

ספר שמות פרק כא פסוק יג וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא צָדָה וְהָאֱלֹהִים אִנָּה לְיָדוֹ וְשַׂמְתִּי לְךָ מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יָנוּס שָׁמָּה:

“But one who did not stalk [him], but G-d brought [it] about into his hand, I will make a place for you to which he shall flee” (Shemot 21:13).

Rashi explains that the place of refuge refers to the camp of the Levites. (Rashi, Shemot 21:13; based on Babylonian Talmud, Makot 12b). The forty-eight cities designated for the Levites included the six cities of refuge as it states: “Among the cities you shall give to the Levites, shall be six cities of refuge, which you shall provide [as places] to which a murderer can flee. In addition to them, you shall provide forty-two cities” (Bamidbar 35:6).
The Sefer HaChinuch, a commentary that explains all the mitzvot in the Torah according to the system of Maimonides, relates the six constant mitzvot to the “cities of refuge”:

ספר החינוך - אגרת המחבר שִּׁשָׁה מֵהֶן שֶׁחִיּוּבָן תָּמִיד, לֹא יִפָּסֵק מֵעַל הָאָדָם אֲפִלּוּ רֶגַע בְּכָל יָמָיו, וְאֵלוּ הֵם - א. לְהַאֲמִין בַּשֵּׁם. ב. שֶׁלֹּא לְהַאֲמִין זוּלָתוֹ. ג. לְיַחֲדוֹ. ד. לְאַהֲבָה אוֹתוֹ. ה. לְיִרְאָה אוֹתוֹ. ו. שֶׁלֹּא לָתוּר אַחַר מַחֲשֶׁבֶת הַלֵּב וּרְאִיַּת הָעֵינַיִם. סִימָנָם שֵׁשׁ עָרֵי מִקְלָט תִּהְיֶינָה לָכֶם:

There are six mitzvot that we are obligated to keep constantly. We should never ignore these mitzvot even for a moment during all of our lives. These are them: 1. To believe in Hashem; 2. not to believe in anything besides Him; 3. to conceive of His oneness; 4. to love Him. 5. to be in awe of Him; 6. not to wander after the foreign thoughts of our heart and the vision of our eyes Their mnemonic is “Six cities of refuge shall there be for you” (Bamidbar 35:13); (Sefer Hachinuch, Iggeret Hamechaber).

The Six (Seven) Constant Mitzvot and Their Related Associations
The Six Constant Mitzvot may correspond to the six walls of our home. The ceiling represents our constant remembrance of G-d who is always above us. The floor, recalling prostration during worship, reminds us not to worship any entity other than G-d. The front wall reminds us that G-d is One. The walls to the right and left remind us to love and be in awe of G-d. The back wall, and by extension the back door, teaches us not to ‘sneak out the back’ and stray from the ways of the Torah. (Based on an article by Rabbi Ari Enkin). According to Rav Yitzchak Ginsburgh each of the six mitzvot likewise corresponds to one of the six directions. They are also associated with a patriarch, a sefirah, and an inner sense depicted in this chart:

Constant Mitzvah	Direction	Sefirah	Inner Sense	Soul
Belief in existence of G-d	Above	Netzach/ Victory	Security	Moshe
Not believing in other gods	Below	Hod/ Glory	Acknowledgment	Aharon
Belief that G-d is One	Front/East	Tiferet/ Beauty	Compassion	Ya’acov
Love of G-d	Right/South	Chesed/ Kindness	Love	Avraham
Fear/Awe of G-d	Left/North	Gevurah/ Strength	Fear	Yitzchak
Not straying after negative thoughts	Behind/West	Yesod/ Foundation	Truth	Yosef
Prayer	Middle point	Malchut/ Kingdom	Lowliness	David

The Six Constant Mitzvot as Consciousness-Anchors

The above chart is the outline of the meditation, which is both mystically potent, and very practical and easy to apply to daily life. Once we have learned the associations there is no limit to the depths we may reach through this kind of Jewish meditation, wherein the conscious and subconscious elements of the psyche, the intellect, and the emotions merge together in harmony and creative endeavor. If we take the time and make the effort to meditate and contemplate the deep secrets of time and space hidden in the Torah, we are able to come to the same conclusion as Ya’acov: “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of G-d and this is the gate of the heavens” (Bereishit 28:16-17).  

EmunaHealing Exercise for Fulfilling the Six Constant Mitzvot

Based on Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, Living in Divine Space Essentially, the meditation is to picture oneself inside a cube, or ‘sanctuary,’ defined by these six mitzvot. 

1. Make yourself comfortable and breathe slowly and mindfully. Allow your thoughts to pass through you, without judging them. Imagine each thought as a gust of wind blowing on your face and then subsiding.
2. Envision yourself enveloped by divine lights from all six directions: Visualize first the light above you. Breathe into this light and envision how it is spreading downward, enveloping you from all directions, even below your feet. Now, breathe the light into your front side. Allow it to become your guiding light. Keep breathing the light into your right side, and then to your left. Finally, allow the light to spread to your backside, protecting you from the rear.
3. As you visualize the light shining on you from above, mentally recite the first commandment from the Torah: “I am G-d, your G-d, who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves” (Shemot 20:2). Notice how this mitzvah is not only believing in G-d passively, but it implies believing in Him as an active redeemer.
4. Open your awareness to the eternal Power who takes you out of all states of bondage and confinements. (In Hebrew, the word Mitzraim, “Egypt,” also means metzarim, ‘confinements.’). Let yourself be filled with an infinite feeling of trust (bitachon) in G-d.
5. Imagine your connection to G-d as a rope. Envision yourself climbing upward on this rope. Whenever you may feel confined or trapped by your present state of being, you can at any time break through the feeling of confinement and rise to live at a higher level of reality through your belief in G-d.
6. Now, visualize the Divine light below your feet, as you mentally recite the second commandment from the Torah: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Shemot 20:3). Imagine the Divine light from below dissolving any belief in powers other than G-d that you may ever have believed in. It could be natural spiritual forces, angels, doctors, medicine, and the power of your own strength. Your sincere and single-minded commitment (temimut) to G-d will allow you to realize that all reality is controlled by no one other than G-d.
7. Your steadfast emunah prevents you from disconnecting from the ‘rope’ of belief in G-d and protects you from falling down into the earthly quicksand of reliance on natural forces.
8. Envision the Divine light in front of you as you mentally recite the Shema: “Hear O Israel, G-d is our G-d, G-d is one/ Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad” (Devarim 6:4). Keep breathing slowly as you contemplate the absolute unity of G-d. Review in your mind how all your experiences ultimately originate from one single source, G-d, and that G-d is the only ultimate reality, whose essence encompasses all beings.
9. Contemplate how G-d’s unity implies that everything we experience comes from and is G-d. If G-d is absolute goodness, it follows that everything must be ultimately good. What appears to be bad is only due to our warped vision, distorted by our own idea of how things should be. Hear, O Israel: Hashem (Havayah – Compassionate/Kind) is our G-d (Elokeinu – who appears to us through His attribute of judgment), Hashem (Havayah) is One (Everything is but an aspect of Hashem’s absolute kindness).
10. Envision the Divine light to your right, as you mentally recite, “You shall love Hashem your G-d with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Devarim 6:5). Once you have contemplated Hashem’s unity, you are now ready to open your heart and let it be filled with love of G-d. Let the question “Who could desire anything other than Hashem” caress your right arm, chest, and shoulder. Get in touch with how your awareness that G-d is the ultimate source of all reality and how it arouses your love of Him.
11. Envision the Divine light to your left, as you mentally recite, “Now, O Israel, what does Hashem your G-d ask of you, but to fear…” (Devarim 10:12). When you genuinely love G-d, you would never ever want to do anything that could separate yourself from Him, i.e., anything prohibited by the Torah. Tap into your fear of severing your bond of love with Hashem, as you breathe into your left arm, chest, and shoulder.
12. Focus on both your right and left side – the tandem of your love and awe of G-d. These two mitzvot together becoming the “wings” of the soul, which constantly elevate all our good deeds, prayer, and Torah learning to Hashem.
13. Now, Envision the Divine light to your rear, as you mentally recite, “You shall not stray after your heart and after your eyes…” (Bamidbar 15:39). This is the mitzvah of guarding your mind and heart from foreign thoughts and desires to protect your precious relationship with G-d from dissolution. Understand how foreign enticements prevent your life from being truly productive. Ask Hashem for strength and protection from the temptation of looking for G-d in ‘paths’ or ‘trips’ other than the Torah. Ask for protection from allowing these kinds of thoughts to catch you off guard.
14. Now, Envision Divine light both in front of you and behind you as you tune into the tandem of Hashem’s unity while steering clear of foreign thoughts.
15. Tap into the light above our head and below your feet as you recall and anchor yourself to the two first mitzvot in the Ten Commandments: The belief in One G-d (above) and the denial of any other deity or independent power (below).
16. Take some slow deep breaths and recall each of the six constant mitzvot and their respective directions: From your right and your left, in front of you and behind you, and above and below. Repeat this while visualizing yourself surrounded by Divine light from all these six directions:
17. Focus your awareness on the middle of the six-sided cube. From within this inner place of the seventh dimension, open your heart to express your deepest innermost prayer. Ask Hashem for the one thing you desire most in life. Then recite “וַאֲנִי תְפִלָּה/va’ani tefilah – …and I am prayer” (Tehillim 109:4). Repeat this phrase with the intention that “my entire existence is prayer.” Now imagine offering your ‘I’ to surrender it to the infinite all powerful Creator as your highest prayer.