GATEWAYS TO TORAT HAYIM

 
CONNECTING TO JEWISH LIVING WISDOM RESOURCES

 

Parashat Va’etchanan – How can I love G-d?

by Anava, Rabbi Alon

How can we fulfil the mitzvah to love Hashem? How does one cultivate this love?

 

Firstly, we must learn to look for and find the good in life.

 

Humans are very good at being ungrateful. We tend to constantly whine and complain about what we DON’T have rather than focusing on what we DO have.

 

If we, instead, start to THANK Hashem for everything, we will come to appreciate all He does for us; we will come to acknowledge that everything we have is from Him. We will see His greatness, and this also leads to love.

 

Hashem has blessed us with many things we take for granted, such as physical and mental facilities. Without these gifts, God forbid, we must take time to imagine what it would be like and focus on appreciating their preciousness.

 

Chazal (our Sages) that by thanking Hashem, we connect with Him, bringing Him much nachat. Spending a few minutes a day dedicated to focusing on all Hashem has blessed us with will help us grow in our love of Hashem and our soul’s connection with Him.