(8) This is the meaning of “Just as he is compassionate and merciful …” God’s every action is to benefit and give to others rather than for self-benefit since he has no deficit to make whole and also no one from whom to receive. All your actions as well should be for the sake of giving and benefiting others; this way you will make your form similar to the blessed Creator’s attributes. This is spiritual cleaving.

(9)The mind’s similarity of form
4. This similarity of form has a “mind” aspect and a “heart” aspect. The issue of engagement in the Torah and the commandment for the sake of giving satisfaction to one’s maker is similarity of form in terms of the mind. The Lord does not wonder whether he exists or whether he guides his creatures, nor does he harbor any other doubts. Similarly, one who wishes to attain similarity of form must not consider these matters when it is clear that the Creator does not consider them. For there is no greater dissimilarity of form than that. Therefore, whoever contemplates these matters is in a state of separation from blessed God and will never reach a state of similarity of form.

(10)“And all your deeds should be for the sake of heaven”
This is what the sages meant when they said, “And all your deeds should be for the sake of heaven” (tractate Avot 2:12) for the sake of cleaving to heaven. You must not do anything that does not pertain to the aim of cleaving, that is, all your deeds should be for the sake of bestowing on and giving to another. Then will you achieve similarity of form with heaven. Just as all the actions of the blessed Creator are to bestow and give to others, so all your actions should be only to bestow and give to others; this is complete cleaving.

(11) Do not raise the argument that it is impossible for a person to perform all his actions for others’ benefit. After all, people must work to support themselves and their family. The answer is that actions performed out of necessity, that is, to receive the little required for survival, must be neither condemned nor praised. It is not considered as doing something for oneself.

(12)How can one transform his nature?
5. All those who fully understand these issues must be surprised that someone can reach a state of complete similarity of form, wherein all his actions benefit others, while that person’s entire being is the receiving for oneself. From the nature of his creation, he cannot perform even a small action for others’ benefit. When imparting to others, he of necessity expects to receive something of value in return. If he is in doubt about its value, he would not act. How could all his actions be for the sake of giving to others and not at all for his own needs?

(13)The special quality in observing the Torah and the commandments for their own sakes
I admit that this is very difficult, and that people are powerless to change the way they were created, which is to receive for oneself alone. Needless to say, a person cannot completely transform his nature by receiving nothing for himself but instead acting only in order to give.

(14) For that reason, blessed God gave us the Torah and the commandments that we were commanded to observe only for the sake of giving satisfaction to the Holy One, blessed be He. Were it not for engaging in the Torah and the commandments for their own sake, that is, not for self-benefit, no stratagem in the world could help us transform our nature. From this you would understand the importance of engaging in the Torah and the commandments for their own sake. If a person’s intention while engaging in them is not for the benefit of the Holy One, blessed be He, but for self-benefit, this would fail to transform the nature of the desire to receive; on the contrary, the desire to receive within him will grow much more than what he was naturally born with. I have discussed it in the introduction to the Sulam commentary in the first volume. Read sections 30-31 there. This is not the place to discuss it at length.