Because this series is sequential, make sure to check out [In love 24/7] #1 – Oneness!
“וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ”
“You shall love Hashem, your God…” (Deut. 6:5)
As organized and enumerated by the Rambam, the commandment to love God is listed as the 3rd mitzvah of the Torah, following the commandments to believe in Him and accept His Oneness. (1) As we mentioned earlier (2), loving Hashem incorporates and accommodates all the mitzvot of the Torah because its fulfillment enables one to properly implement all the others. Love is the key ingredient that enhances any relationship. One who is in love only desires to fulfill the will of the one they love and refrain from its inverse. Accordingly, this verse is applied in so many areas of our day-to-day life. For example:
- The Biblical commandments to recite the Kriat Shema both in the morning and in the evening. These serve as the 2 major checkpoints in our siddurim which require total consolidation of effort and intent.
- The parchment inserted in the Mezuzot affixed to the doorpost, securing our families and our homes.
- The parchment found inside Tefillin, which we bind onto our arms facing the heart and between the eyes, gloriously crowning us at the top of the morning.
In these next few upcoming “In love 24/7” blogs, we’ll deal with the following 2 questions which provide the underlying ABC’s of how to fulfill this prevailing mitzvah.
#1: Why is God so interested in our love? God is perfect and doesn’t need anything!
#2: Is it really possible to force someone to love you? How could God expect us to fabricate such an amazingly and gloriously heartfelt feeling on demand?
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#1: Why is God so interested in our love? (3)
God created and instilled in His world a very simple and universal principle for interpersonal relationships:
“כַּ֭מַּיִם הַפָּנִ֣ים לַפָּנִ֑ים כֵּ֤ן לֵֽב־הָ֝אָדָ֗ם לָאָדָֽם”
“As water reflects one’s face, so does a man’s heart to another,” (Proverbs 27:19).
When a person feels loved by another, they naturally become drawn to that person, developing affection for them and ultimately reciprocating that feeling of love.
The extent of how much Hashem loves every single person is utterly unfathomable, regardless of their background, status, or spiritual level. It’s impossible to give a concrete measure, analogy, or comparison to any personification of love in our world. His love is totally unconditional and limitless! Plus, Hashem gets immense pleasure from every tiny little act or effort a person makes to serve Him and connect to Him, especially in our feeble generation that’s full of deterrents. As taught in the Zohar, if only the Jewish people knew how much Hashem loved them, they would roar like a lion, endlessly prowling after Him with fiery zeal. (4)
In conclusion, the reason why Hashem is so interested in our love is because He loves each and every one of us, and so to speak, wants us to love Him back. Since He created, sustains, and craves a unique relationship with each individual, nobody else besides that specific person could fulfill their role to bestow love in their divine relationship with God. (5)
Thus, one major approach to fulfilling the commandment of loving God is simply by contemplating and being aware that you are indeed loved very much. Like a mirror, the more you’ve actualized God’s love for you, the more love you will reflect back to Him.
Accordingly, your feelings about others and your facial expressions have a big effect on people as well. People tend to react to a smile with a smile and associate scowl with disapproval. Consistently practice facial expressions of friendliness and kindness when speaking to others and you will see their positive responses. Moreover, your own facial expression has a big effect on your personal inner state. One tactic is to look in the mirror and think thoughts that are conducive to feelings of love and warmth. Some suggest even saying to yourself, “I love you, I really love you” twice a day when looking into the mirror. If that’s challenging right now, whether because the person has difficulty saying it or doesn’t feel like they meant it, they should say, “I am willing to learn to love you,” until they eventually feel more comfortable to say, “I love you.” You were created in the image of the Creator and no one could ever take that away from you. (6)
# SPREAD THE LOVE
(1) Sefer HaMitzvot: Positive Commandment 3; (2) see Intro to In love 24/7 (3) Portions adapted from Kuntres Ma’amrei Chizuk by R’ Tzvi Meir Zilberberg; (4) Zohar 2:5B; (5) Every single neshama is so incredibly powerful and exalted and plays a vital part in bringing the final redemption, especially in our generation which is referred to as the “Heal of Mashiach.”; (6) adapted from “Begin Again Now” by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin & Rabbi Yom Tov Glaser’s shiur, “Destroy your inner judge”