Yaakov Raskin | Loving and fearing – What the fisherman knows about G-d

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” President Franklin D. Roosevelt uttered these words, which is arguably the best-known political quote in American history.

The biblical prophet Moses, however, had a different opinion. In this week’s Torah portion, as Moses recounts the giving of the Ten Commandments, he shares the following instruction with the Israelites: “And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your G-d demand of you? Only this: to fear the Lord your G-d, to walk only in divine paths, to love and to serve the Lord your G-d with all your heart and soul” (Deut 10:12-13). It appears as though Moses thinks the only thing we have to fear is G-d, not “fear itself”.

These verses state that in addition to fearing G-d, we must love and serve him with our entire heart and soul. This raises several questions, including What does it mean to love or fear G-d? How can we both love and fear G-d simultaneously? And are we really loving G-d if we are commanded to do it?

Jewish sages have attempted to answer these questions over the centuries. In his introduction to the second section of Tanya, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi – the founder of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, addresses the question of how we can be commanded to love directly. He asks, “How is it that the Torah uses the language of ‘doing’ regarding love of the heart?” Love is not an action, but rather a spontaneous feeling, which cannot simply be activated on command.

Jews read the following verses from Deuteronomy 6:5 twice a day as part of the “Shema,“ our religion’s central prayer. “ You shall love the Lord your G-d with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength.” Rashi, the 11th century biblical commentator says that the subsequent verse 6:6 – “ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts” – is actually the instructions for how to love G-d. By fulfilling G-d’s other commandments, we are loving him.

This can be explained via an allegory. There once was a man who thought he was a great husband, but his actions didn’t show it. He never took his wife out, never bought her anything, never helped around the house, and never did what she asked him to do. Finally, she confronted him, and he said: “I love you dearly, more than anything in the world. But that’s why I can’t do anything for you. I’m so busy loving you I can’t possibly do anything else.”

You can’t be a good husband in your heart; your love must lead to action. Similarly, you can’t love G‑d without doing what He wants from you.

deeper component of love

But if “loving actions” show our love for G-d, then a question arises – how can we actually feel the love which we are commanded to feel.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman answers this question as well. He discusses a second, deeper component of love, one which is more akin to appreciation or closeness with G-d. “When one contemplates ideas that arouse a love for G‑d in a general way, how G‑d is our very lifeforce . . . Or in a more specific way by contemplating the greatness of G‑d . . . and the great love He has for us . . . this will arouse a reciprocal love for G‑d.”

In other words, he writes that if we focus on all the wondrous things G-d does for which we are grateful, this will arouse a feeling of deep appreciation, like the love a young child feels for their parents as the source of his entire wellbeing. As adults, we need to constantly remind ourselves of the blessings which G-d bestows upon us as a way to reach this same deeper level of love. So although one cannot be commanded to “do” a feeling, we can certainly engage in the deep contemplation that will lead to the desired inner result.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is “fearing G-d”. Deuteronomy 6:13 says “fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name”. The question here is not just how one should fear G-d, but really why? Fear is perceived to be the abrupt, instinctual shock we feel when we find ourselves in the wrong neighborhood at night, encounter a wild animal, step close to a cliff’s edge, or sense impending danger.

Thus, many people assume that “fear the lord” means fearing G-d’s divine punishment or wrath. This is not what Jewish sources speak about. Just as love can be both the fleeting emotion as well as the deeper contemplation, so it is with fear as well. The Hebrew word for fear is “Yirah”, which translates more accurately as “be in awe of” or “revere”. Thus, the Torah is in essence commanding us to be in a state of reverential awe towards the Lord.

Rabbi Moses Maimonides, one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars of all time, described a process for how one may attain a sense of awe and respect for G-d:

“What is the path [to attain] love and fear of Him? When a person contemplates His wondrous and great deeds and creations and appreciates His infinite wisdom that surpasses all comparison, he will immediately love, praise and glorify [Him], yearning with tremendous desire to know [G‑d’s] great name, as David stated: “ My soul thirsts for the L‑rd, for the living G‑d” [Psalms 42:3].” ( Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah Chapter 2)

This is strikingly similar to the process that Rabbi Schneur Zalman described for loving one’s Creator, one which results from intellectual contemplation.

We can now answer the final question of “how can we love and fear G-d simultaneously?” There’s an old French phrase: “ Les extrêmes se touchent” which translates to “the extremes touch”, meaning that two opposite ideas often end up sharing common ground. In this case, fearing G-d – possessing a deep awe and respect, and loving G-d – having a profound appreciation and gratitude, aren’t so different after all.