By Rabbi Avraham Chaim Bloomenstiel
Q: We discussed in class the difficulty of “loving HaShem.” How then do we deal with the Torah mitzvah to love Hashem (Dev. 6:5)?
A: You are asking about the mitzvah of ve-ahavta es Hashem Elokecha found in Devarim 6:5.
There are two classic questions on this mitzvah:
1) how can the Torah command an emotion? You either feel something or you don’t.
2) how can we be commanded to love something that is intangible and completely transcendent?
Most of the baalei hashkafa (Jewish philosophers/theologians) explain that the Torah tells us the answer to both questions. If you look at the Shema, Devarim 6:5-9, it commands us to love G-d, and then goes on to give us mitzvos of Torah study, tefillah (reciting shema), teaching one’s children, tefillin, and mezuzos. The Rambam and others (i.e. Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah Asei 418) explain that “loving HaShem” is a goal. The way to get there is by attaining knowledge of HaShem through Torah study, seeking out His actions and manifestation in nature (see, for example, Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah 2:2, 4:12), and by doing mitzvos.
The Torah first tells us that the goal is “loving HaShem.” The Torah then tells us how to attain that: by Torah study, contemplation, and doing the mitzvos. The Rambam emphasizes throughout his writings that it is only possible to come to love HAshem through attaining knowledge of HaShem (see, for example Hilchos Teshuva 10:6). The reason that knowledge is essential is because of Hashem’s transcendence. HaShem is so divorced from anything in the created world that we cannot imagine or speculate as to His qualities. Therefore, anything that we imagine Hashem as being is wrong. We can only formulate an idea of Hashem through actual knowledge. As we attain this knowledge, so do we come to love Hashem (the Rambam writes this several times in Sefer Mada).
It takes a lot of dedication, contemplation, and toiling in Torah to attain knowledge of Hashem, which makes loving Hashem a difficult and lofty goal (see Rambam, Hilchos Teshuva 10:2). Very few people truly love HaShem, because very few people have attained knowledge of Hashem. Many who claim to love G-d are actually in love with what they only imagine G-d to be, and not what they KNOW G-d to be. That is a dangerous trap, because it means that one’s prayers and mitzvos are predicated on a relationship with an imaginary friend, and not Hashem. Someone who is in love with his imagined version of HaShem cannot grow spiritually.
It is therefore important for anyone who wants to love G-d to first kill any imagined idea of what G-d might be and erase such things from his mind. He should then start his relationship with Hashem with this tefillah: “Hashem – I don’t know who You are. But, I want to know who You are, and I want to come to love you. Teach me about You, help me to know You, so that I may come to love you.” From that point onward, part of your intentions for all your Torah learning and mitzvos should be that it help you to know and come to love HaShem–the REAL HaShem!