How to Love Hashem
In this week’s Parsha we have the posuk from Shema ‘Veohavto es Hasehm elokecha bechol levavcha – You shall love Hashem with all your heart..” The Mefarshim ask the question: How is possible to command that I should feel something? You can command to do something, but if I don’t feel the love how can you just tell me to feel it!?
The answer can be found in the Rambam in his sefer Mishne Torah. The Rambam writes: “What is the path [to attain] love and fear of Him? When a person contemplates His wondrous and great deeds and creations..” In other words, the mitzva is not to love, the Mitzva is to think about things and to contemplate ideas that will bring you to love Hashem.
Perhaps we can say that part of this Mitzva is to pay attention and to notice. In the fast-paced world we live in we so often miss the beauty of Hashem’s world. We often overlook the great kindness that Hashem does for us. If we would just stop, pay attention, and think we would gain a much deeper love and appreciation for Hashem.
May we all recognise Hashem in every aspect of our lives.