Dear Friends,
I hope summer is giving you a chance to recharge — because believe it or not, the Jewish New Year is less than six weeks away!
There’s a story of a chassid who once said to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, “I’m afraid I’m becoming your chassid.”
The Rebbe smiled and replied, half-jokingly, “Why be afraid and become out of fear? Become out of love!”
This week’s parsha, Va’etchanan, gives us two verses that seem to pull in opposite directions:
- “Fear (revere) Hashem your G-d” — Devarim 6:13
- “Love Hashem your G-d” — Devarim 6:5
Most belief systems tend to emphasize one over the other. Some prize fear — obedience, discipline, awe. Others emphasize love — closeness, warmth, emotional connection.
But the Torah says: we need both.
That’s not so simple. Fear and love feel like opposites — one pushes us back, the other draws us close. How can we hold both at once?
The Ohr HaChaim — Rabbi Chaim ben Attar (1696–1743), one of our greatest Biblical commentators — explains: yirah (awe) is the starting point. It’s the awareness that we stand before the Infinite. It humbles us. It creates healthy boundaries.
Then comes ahavah (love) — a deep, joyful, personal connection.
They’re not opposites. They’re complements.
Awe without love becomes cold and distant.
Love without awe becomes casual and self-serving.
Together, they’re like the two wings of a bird — you need both to fly.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught that this is the journey of spiritual maturity. A child begins with awe — “Hashem is great and I must listen.”
As we grow, that awe blossoms into love — loving Hashem not just for what He gives us, but for Who He is.
And it’s not just with G-d.
In our relationships with people, start with respect — noticing their uniqueness.
From there, love will naturally flourish.
The summer is a time when we have a little more down time — a chance to pause and ponder how we’re doing in our life’s mission.
So let’s end with a question:
- Do you have more of a love or awe relationship with the people in your life?
- Do you have more of a love or awe relationship with G-d?
- Do you have the same with Judaism?
Something to think about. Let’s talk about it together sometime (or feel free to reply to this email).
Shabbat Shalom / Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Yitzi Hein