As the Children of Israel leave Mount Sinai, in preparation for their journey to the Land of Canaan, the Torah tells us that: “And they departed from the mountain of the Lord three days’ journey.” (10:33) Commentators explain that this means that they travelled a three day journey in one day, but are divided over the significance of this feat. Rashi, the 11th Century French commentator, explains that God worked a miracle for them so that they could quickly enter the Land.

But Ramban, the 13th Century Spanish commentator, explains the verse to mean that they ran away from Mount Sinai “just like a child who runs away from school, saying: ‘Perhaps He will give us more commandments!” And thus, the quickness of the people does not reflect any miracle, but the people’s running from further Mitzvot.

This second explanation makes sense from the text, as it is a people who resent further Mitzvot who are more likely to complain to the God Who took them out of Egypt, as they do in Chapter 11. In fact, Rashi supports this explanation in his comments to Chapter 11. When the people remember their lives in Egypt, with the fish “we ate for free,” Rashi explains that the word “free” is not referring to price, but “freedom from Mitzvot.”

Throughout history, both various Jews and non-Jews have criticized Judaism by describing the overabundance of Mitzvot as a problem to be solved. Even in our own day, it is tempting to view the Mitzvot as burdensome. But when we view things in a certain light, it only encourages us to indulge our biases, even if they are incorrect. If we view Mitzvot as a burden, they will become a burden, God forbid.

The Mitzvot are all-encompassing, but that is the point. One of the struggles we face in this world, especially in this day and age, is a life without meaning. We float through life, wondering where the time went, where plans disappeared to, how we were “fated” to end up where we are.

The Torah gives us a sense of purpose, a reminder of our agency. When we wake up, when we wash our hands and pray, we are not drifting through the morning – we act intentionally. We control what goes into our mouths, and what comes out of them. We control when we work and when we rest. Through dedicating our lives to bringing holiness and Godliness into the world, we bring meaning into the world.

When we see the Torah, with its prohibitions and its obligations, we can choose to see them as obstacles or opportunities, as barriers or pathways to meaning. Let us bring meaning and holiness into the world, through living our life with the Mitzvot, embracing the opportunity God gives us to shape our lives.

Rabbi Eliezer Finkelstein serves Bais Abraham Congregation and is a member of the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association, which coordinates the d’var Torah for the Jewish Light.