Ahavat HaShem \u2013 Love Your G-d<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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And you shall love the L-rd your G-d with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.\u00a0 Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6.5<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b8\u05d4\u05b7\u05d1\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc \u05d0\u05b5\u05ea<\/span> \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05b9\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05db\u05b8\u05dc\u05be\u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d1\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05db\u05b8\u05dc\u05be\u05e0\u05b7\u05e4\u05b0\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05db\u05b8\u05dc\u05be\u05de\u05b0\u05d0\u05b9\u05d3\u05b6\u05da\u05b8: \u05e1<\/span><\/p>\nAnd you shall love ( vahavta ) \u2013 everything from Aleph to Tav<\/span> \u2013 HaShem \u2013 Elohecha \u2013 with all \u2013 your heart \u2013 and with all \u2013 Nafshcha (soul) \u2013 and with all \u2013 your might.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
With all your heart.\u00a0 Your heart should not be divided.\u00a0 We must love G-d with our Yetzer Tov ( our good inclination ) and with our Yetzer Rah ( our evil inclination ).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Love develops between those who are similar.\u00a0 Since man was created in HaShem\u2019s Spiritual Image, there exists a connection between the Creator and mankind that culminates in Divine Love.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The love and fear of G-d are powerful means which draw an individual close to G-d.\u00a0 They enlighten the physical darkness in man, cause his soul to radiate in all its brightness, and thus elevate him step by step until he attains a state of closeness to G-d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
G-d Granted us one particular means which can bring us close to Him more than anything else.\u00a0 This is the study of His Revealed TORAH.\u00a0 The Way of G-d Moshe Chaim Luzzatto Feldheim page 71<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The individual Jewish soul and the collective soul of the Jewish people are a rope that binds us to G-d.\u00a0 Our actions in this world influence the root of our souls.\u00a0 This rope ties us to HaShem.\u00a0 So our experiences here in this world are also the experiences Above in the Spiritual Realms.\u00a0 It is an awesome thought to understand that our behavior in this world affects the Divine Presence.\u00a0 See Torah Chumash Devarim The Book of Deuteronomy\u00a0 Kehot page 200<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
HaShem went with the Jewish people into exile in Egypt, into exile in Babylonia and is destined to be redeemed with them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
For the L-rd’s Portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance. Devarim (Deuteronomy) 32.9<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
And God Said, Let us Make man in Our Image, after Our Likeness\u2026Bereisheit (Genesis) 1.26<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The Image of G-d<\/em> \u2013 Tze\u2019elim Demut<\/span><\/p>\n\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e6\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05de\u05b5\u0596\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d3\u05b0\u05de\u05d5\u05bc\u05ea\u05b5\u0591\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc<\/span><\/p>\nI<\/span>n Our Image \u2013 according to Our Likeness Bereisheit (Genesis) 1.26<\/span><\/p>\nThe Image of G-d is a spark that flows from G-d and Infuses Divinity into each person.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
As we consider this connection with G-d our first thoughts often lead us to an awareness of how far<\/em> away we feel<\/em> from G-d.\u00a0 These emotions should drive us to repentance.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
An emotion cannot be compelled.\u00a0 The Mitzvot (Commandment) to Love G-d means that we should think about, contemplate about those things that will lead us to Love G-d.\u00a0 The same holds true for the Mitzvot to Love your neighbor as yourself<\/em>. Vayikra\u00a0 (Leviticus) 19.18<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
So we should bring into this discussion a bit of what teshuva, repentance, means.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Reb Zusya of Anipoli, said that the word\u00a0teshuvah<\/em>\u00a0is an acronym for five sacred verses that help us open our whole selves to the Transcendent One:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
T:\u00a0Tamim<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2013 Be sincere with HaShem your G-d<\/em>. Devarim (Deuteronomy) 18:13<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nSh:\u00a0Shivisi<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2013 I have set HaShem before myself continuously<\/em>. Tehillim (Psalms)16:8<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nU:\u00a0V\u2019ahavta<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2013 Love your fellow as yourself<\/em>. Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:18<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nV:\u00a0B\u2019chol<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2013 In all your ways, know Him<\/em>. Mishlei (Proverbs) 3:6<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nH:\u00a0Hatznei\u2019a<\/em>\u00a0 \u2013 Walk discreetly with your G-d<\/em>. Micha (Micah) 6:8<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
T<\/span>here are five levels of the Soul but there are only four levels of Teshuvah because at the highest level, our Yechidah Soul does not experience limitation.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Our Nefesh<\/u><\/strong>, our animal soul (physical soul) appears to limit us, telling us we cannot change.\u00a0 We believe there are forces out there that prohibit our change for the good.<\/span><\/p>\nRuach<\/u><\/strong> is our emotional soul.\u00a0 We are often impacted by negative criticism.\u00a0 We allow those feelings of weakness and unworthiness to impact our resolve to change.\u00a0 We often feel<\/em><\/strong> that we cannot change.<\/span><\/p>\nOur Neshamah<\/u><\/strong> is our intellectual soul.\u00a0 Often our own thoughts and how we analyze our situations get in our way.\u00a0 We do not really believe we have the capacity for greatness.<\/span><\/p>\nChayah<\/u><\/strong> is the part of our soul that forms a bridge as it were that connects us with an awareness of G-d as He Continually Creates the world around us. We should not allow this supra rational aspect of our soul to believe that there are limitations that we cannot overcome.\u00a0 Being one with The One is just what G-d Wants.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The point in loving G-d is to perform His Mitzvot (Commandments).\u00a0 You cannot love someone if you have no knowledge of him \/ her.\u00a0 So where, how, does one acquire knowledge of HaShem G-d?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
We heal our souls and the world by converting our desire to receive for ourselves alone.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Through the practice of Torah and\u00a0mitzvot<\/em>, the will to receive is eventually transformed into the will to give. Then our souls are able to receive all the Good that is implicit in the thought of Creation. With this, they merit to a wondrous unity with G\u2011d, since they have earned affinity of form with their Creator through their work in Torah and\u00a0mitzvot<\/em>. This state is designated as the end of the healing process, the end of teshuvah.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\nThis is what it means to love G-d with all your heart.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/jewishpath.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/qualabear2.jpg\")
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Blessings and Peace<\/span><\/p>\nRebbetzin Revi Belk<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ahavat HaShem \u2013 Love Your G-d And you shall love the L-rd your G-d with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":618,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-701","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-mussar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/jewishpath.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/jewishpath.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/jewishpath.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jewishpath.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jewishpath.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=701"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"http:\/\/jewishpath.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1175,"href":"http:\/\/jewishpath.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/701\/revisions\/1175"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jewishpath.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/jewishpath.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jewishpath.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jewishpath.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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