Constant Connection

We need oxygen always, taking it in constantly with each life-giving breath. As oxygen is to the body - so the Six Constant Mitzvos are to our Jewish spirit and soul. Rabbi Noach Weinberg zt"l, the legendary founder of Aish HaTorah, emphasized - both in his classes and in his personal encounters -- that putting the Six Constant Mitzvos into our consciousness was the essential first step towards creating a connection to Hashem. Rabbi Yitzchak Coopersmith, a devoted student of Rav Noach, has created an extraordinarily effective system towards understanding the concepts underlying the Six Constant Mitzvos and incorporating them into our lives. What makes a mitzvah, a Torah commandment, "constant"? Some mitzvos are observed only at certain times. Others apply in specific circumstances or just to certain classes of people. Of the 613 commandments, there are six -only six- that are to be observed at all times, by all people, in all situations. The Six Constant Mitzvos, as defined by the Sefer HaChinuch, are to know there is a God; not to believe in other gods; to make Hashem one; to fear Hashem; to love Hashem; and not to stray after your heart or eyes. Beautiful ideas - but what, exactly, do they mean to me in my life? In Constant Connection, Rabbi Coopersmith gives us tools to take these lofty concepts and ideas and integrate them into our day to day decisions. As we read his clearly articulated words, we find our emunah, our faith, strengthened, and our lives transformed - and we learn to create a constant connection to the world of the spirit, and to our Creator.