Rav Kook: Eikev – What Does Hashem Want of You?

 

Rav Kook – Eikev

In a famous verse, Moses exhorted the people to acquire reverence for G–D:



וְעַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל — מָה ה’ אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ שֹׁאֵל מֵעִמָּךְ?
כִּי אִם לְיִרְאָה אֶת ה’ אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ לָלֶכֶת בְּכָל-דְּרָכָיו, וּלְאַהֲבָה אֹתוֹ ...



“And now, Israel, what does the Eternal your G–D ask of you? Only this: to be in awe of the Eternal your G–D, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him.” (Deut. 10:12)



What is awe of G–D? And why is it so central to our spiritual life?



Two Forms of Awe

There are two levels of reverence: Yirat Shamayim (“awe of Heaven”) and Yirat Cheit (“fear of sin,” or, more accurately, repulsion from sin).



They share the same root of reverence, but they differ in focus. Yirat Shamayim is primarily a mindset, an inner orientation born from awareness of G–D’s infinite greatness.



Yirat Cheit, on the other hand, is reverence expressed in deed and action, the practical rejection of anything that defiles or distances us from G–D. Deep reverence for the Creator awakens an equally deep recoil from sin.



Reverence and Love

Reverence (yirah) and love (ahavah) appear to be opposites: Love draws us toward what is good and holy, while reverence turns us away from what is corrupt and degrading.

In truth, they are intertwined. Our attraction to good heightens our distaste for evil, and our avoidance of evil safeguards our path toward higher yearnings.

The Talmud (Shabbat 31b) relates that when a certain scholar passed by, Rabbi Elazar said, “Let us stand in honor of this G–D-fearing man.” Although the man was a scholar of stature, Rabbi Elazar singled out his reverence of G–D as the more fundamental trait.



The True Foundation of Wisdom

Rabbi Elazar would say: “The Holy One has only awe of Heaven in His world.”

This striking statement leads us to a profound question: What purpose did G–D have in creating the world? We cannot answer by imagining that creation brought G–D some gain or improvement. Before creation, His perfection was complete, lacking nothing.

The benefit in creating the world can only be understood in the creation of a limited, finite reality. That which is finite is naturally drawn toward the Infinite. The very limitation of all things in their value and purpose is the highest good the universe receives from its Creator. For the loftiest relationship to G–D begins with the awe that comes from sensing our own smallness before His boundless greatness.

It is from these feelings of reverence that all positive yearnings and love are born.

When we cultivate such wisdom — contemplating the Infinite in order to awaken awe — a lofty Yirat Shamayim leaves its deep imprint on the soul. When the mind’s inner image of reverence expresses itself in the realm of action, it produces Yirat Cheit, a revulsion of sin. And from this foundation of awe springs Ahavah: an intense love for G–D, a longing to contemplate His light and ways, His mitzvot and His Torah.

This is the precise sequence Moses set before the people:



“To be in awe of the Eternal your G–D” — Yirat Shamayim “to walk in all His ways ” — Yirat Cheit “and to love Him” — Ahavah



(Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. III, p. 157)

chanan@ravkooktorah.org