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613 Concepts
4-5
Mitzvah/Concept 4: One Must Love God
Fascination: To be fascinated by the world is love of God. To be fascinated by creation is love of God. We can fulfill the mitzvah of loving God by waking up in the morning and saying, “Wow, what a beautiful morning,” or, “I’m going to learn about the world and the beauty that God has brought into the world” or “I want to learn more about God”.
Torah of Love: The Torah will nourish love of God as it teaches us about Him. It will help us understand the world, and what God is teaching us through the creation. Torah can guide us toward understanding what each detail of the world symbolizes. However, we can achieve love of the Creator by admiring the creation.
Identification: The Jewish definition of love is to identify with that which is positive in the other. Our love for God will increase, as we know more about Him and His attributes.
Mitzvah/Concept 5: One Must be in Awe of God:
Awe, Not Fear: The mitzvah is not to fear God, but rather, to be in awe of Him.
Awe develops from love. As we learn more about God, we begin to realize how insignificant the human being is in front of God, in proportion to God.
Awareness: The Hebrew word for awe is “Yirah,” which also means to see and be aware. Love and awe of God simply come from being aware of what goes on around us.
Respect For The Relationship: This concept teaches us that we must have such a deep appreciation for our relationship with God that we will protect it.
(Rabbi Avram Elya Kaplan; B’Ikvot HaYirah)
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