48 Ways: #31 - Love Gd

Hi,

Pirkei Avot 6:5 teaches that Torah is acquired in 48 ways, which it lists for us. The thirty-first of the 48 is oheiv et haMakom, to love Gd.


As we said for ahuv in the previous post, loving Gd is a term used at the start of the sixth chapter of Pirkei Avot, describing one who studies Torah for the pure purpose of satisfying Gd's expectations. Love is a force which causes us to surpass expectations; one who is in love does not ask, "What is the minimum you need," but instead seeks creative ways to find favour in the eyes of his beloved. This sort of approach - what can I do now for Gd - will lead to success in Torah study.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Love of Gd

Hi,

"One's love of Gd should be... like the love of a son for his father, which is a natural love; his nature compels him to love his father... The true test of one's love of Gd is during a time of strain and trouble."

(R' Moshe Chaim Luzzato, Path of the Just Chapter 19)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Loving Gd

Hi,

"'Loving Gd' means that one should thirst, and truly desire, to be close to Gd. One should run after His holiness just as he would run after anything he strongly wanted, to such a point that even the mention of Gd's Name, or description of His glory, or involvement in His Torah will itself be pleasant and enjoyable for him. It should be like love for the spouse of one's youth, or one's only child, a powerful love. Even speaking about it should be enjoyable to him."

(Mesilat Yesharim (Path of the Just), Chapter 19)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Motives for mitzvot

Hi,

"In one Talmudic passage it seems that performing mitzvot due to love or fear [one potential translation of the Hebrew word יראה] is good, and in another passage it sounds as though it is bad!

"Rabbeinu Yitzchak explained: Performing a mitzvah due to love for Gd or awe [a second potential translation of the Hebrew word יראה] of Gd is praiseworthy. Performing a mitzvah out of love for a person or awe of a person is not as good.

"Additionally, as Rashi pointed out, performing a mitzvah out of love for reward is not as good. This applies to someone who would regret his good behavior if he would not receive reward. 'יראה,' then, refers to fear of punishment."

(Tosafot to Talmud Yevamot 48b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

How to love Gd

Hi,

"For Maimonides, the true love of Gd is the intellectual love of Gd, that is, one begins with the intellectual knowledge of Gd, but then imbues that knowledge with drive, passion, and desire that are themselves cognitive in nature, thereby transforming intellectual knowledge of Gd into intellectual love of Gd."

(Professor Lawrence J. Kaplan, Rav Kook: The Jewish Philosophical Tradition, in Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook and Jewish Spirituality, pg. 53)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The soul is hidden

Hi,

"Every Jewish soul experiences awe of, and loves, Gd. It is only that she is buried in a reed mat (reference to Berachot 18b), hidden in the body, and so her love and awe are also buried."

(R' Klonymus Kalman Schapira, Bnei Machshavah Tovah, Seder Hadrachah uKlalim 14)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Not only service, but Love

Hi,

"Our merciful Father had mercy upon us and aroused a spark of will and intelligence in our heart, to know that it is insufficient for us to be like servants, children of servants, who also work for the king...

"Our desire and thirst is to be like children, as in, "You are children to HaShem your Gd," such that in our service of Gd, in Torah, prayer and other mitzvot, we will feel our nearness to Gd."

(R' Klonymus Kalman Shapira, Bnei Machshavah Tovah, Matarat haChevra)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Love and Awe

Hi,

"Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar: One who acts [for Gd] out of love is greater than one who acts out of awe...

"There were two students of Rava. One said: I was told in a dream, 'How great is Your goodness, which You have stored for those who are in awe of You.' The other said: I was told in a dream, 'All who trust in You will be glad, and will sing eternally... those who love Your Name will rejoice in You.'

"Rava said: Both of you are completely righteous, one out of love and the other out of awe."


(Talmud, Sotah 31a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Loving Gd

Hi,

"'Loving Gd' means that one should thirst, and truly desire, to be close to Gd. One should run after His holiness just as he would run after anything he strongly wanted, to such a point that even the mention of Gd's Name, or description of His glory, or involvement in His Torah will
itself be pleasant and enjoyable for him. It should be like love for the spouse of one's youth, or one's only child, a powerful love. Even speaking about it should be enjoyable to him."

(Mesilat Yesharim (Path of the Just), Chapter 19)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Now we are slaves, Next year we will be children

Hi,

On the "Ha Lachma Anya" paragraph of the Haggadah:

"Even when we perform mitzvot for the purpose of serving Gd, we do it as servants, without the revelation of the light of love. Next year we will serve Gd as free people, as children who execute the desire of their parent out of love."

(Haggadah Yalkut Tov, citing Tiferet Shlomo)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The sweetness of Divine aid

Hi,

Regarding the dove which Noah sent from the Ark, which returned with an olive leaf in its mouth:

"R’ Yirmiyah ben Elazar said: It is written, 'Behold, an olive leaf was torn in her mouth' – The dove said before Gd, 'Master of the Universe! May my food be bitter like an olive and from Your hand, and not sweet like honey and dependent upon flesh and blood.'"

(Talmud, Eruvin 18b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

To truly "love" Gd

Hi,

Here's a logical, but very weighty, thought:

"To love means to feel one's own being only through and in the being of another.

"To love Gd, therefore, means to feel that one's own existence and activity are rendered possible and obtain value and significance only through Gd and in Gd."

(R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb 49)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Love of Gd

Hi,

Preface: In the 'Shma' we read that we are instructed to love Gd "b'Chol M'odecha," with all of our resources.

R' Yisrael Meir Kagan, also known as the Chafetz Chaim, wrote:

"In our poverty, we have not reached this trait - to give all of our wealth for the honor of Gd. At least, we should agree to love Gd and His Torah as we love one of our children.

"For example: If one had 6 children, how much would he spend for one of them - to feed them, to clothe them, to teach them Torah, to marry them off, etc? There are great expenditures involved. Now if he had 7 children, he certainly would make the same expenditures for the 7th.

"So a person is obligated to see the honor of Gd and His Torah at least as one of his children, and not to spend less on the honor of Torah and Gd than he would for one of his children. If he reaches this level - then he is fortunate, and it will be good for him."

(Commentary of Chafetz Chaim to Devarim)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

True Love, and True Love of Gd

Hi,

Quite demanding, but quite logical based upon his definition of love:

"'To love' means to feel one's own being only through and in the being of another.

"'To love Gd,' therefore, means to feel that one's own existence and activity are rendered possible and obtain value and significance only through Gd and in Gd."

(R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb paragraph 49)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

True strength?

Hi,

[I'm not sure whether my insertion of 'even' below is correct, or not. It depends on your philosophical approach to suffering.]

"Regarding those who embarrassed by others but do not embarrass others, who hear their shame and do not reply, perform [mitzvot] out of love and are joyous [even] in suffering, it is written [Judges 5], 'Those who love Him are like the emerging Sun in its strength.'"

(Talmud, Gittin 36b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Measuring love of Gd

Hi,


"Love of HaShem is measured by the impact one has on others, by the calm of one's rhetoric, the pleasantness of one's dealings."

(R' Menachem Genack, Tradition 32:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai