Eight times – interestingly, all in sefer Devarim – the Torah tells us we are to love G-d, the first and most famous mention being in what is known today as the first paragraph of the Shema.
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy G-d with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Devarim 6:5).
The mitzva to love G-d can be fulfilled in various ways: by following G-d’s commands, studying His works i.e. the Torah, studying His creation i.e. science and nature in all their manifestations, by imitating G-d i.e. emulating His attributes of mercy, and by speaking about G-d.
A few chapters later, we read what today has become the “second paragraph” of the Shema. “And it shall come to pass, if you hearken diligently to my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your G-d, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Devarim 11:13).
These two paragraphs share much in common; they both emphasize the obligation to love G-d and observe His commandments, specifically the mitzvot of tefillin, mezuza and the teaching of Torah to one’s children[1].
However, there is a fundamental difference between them. The first paragraph is written in the singular, while the second is in the plural – a nuance that’s hard to capture in English, where “you” serves both singular and plural. This shift suggests that there is both an individual and communal obligation to love G-d.
How exactly does a community express love of G-d? While one might argue that it is fulfilled by the community facilitating the points above, it is hard to imagine that the communal obligation is limited to helping many to love G-d. If the Torah addresses the mitzva to the community it must mean that there are aspects of this mitzvah that can be fulfilled only collectively –as a people, not just as individuals.
And the community that Moshe is addressing is the generation that was to enter the Land of Israel and set up a sovereign State.
“Abaye said: We learned, 'And you shall love the Lord your G-d - you shall make the name of Heaven beloved to others'" (Yoma 86a). Living in Babylonia in the 4th-century, Abaye gives individual examples of how one influences others to love G-d. “He should read [Torah], learn [Mishna] and serve Torah scholars, and he should be pleasant with people in his business transactions”, thereby bringing others closer to G-d.
This fulfils the mitzva to love G-d as stated in the first paragraph of the Shema. But the second paragraph, written in the plural, must be fulfilled by the nation as a whole. And it is sefer Devarim - the book in which Moshe prepares the people to set up a State in the Land of Israel - that is the instruction guide on how this aspect of the mitzva is to be fulfilled. While there clearly is a personal component to the mitzva to love G-d, its fullest expression is national – and hence it is mentioned eight times in sefer Devarim and nowhere else in the Torah.
A nation expresses love for God not only through piety, but through just governance. A judicial system, devoid of corruption, where all have equal access to justice; where no one is above the law. We have kings, sages, judges and priests each responsible for the proper functioning of one aspect of government and each serving to restrict the power of the other branches.
Love of G-d is made possible when the army is the most ethical in the world, where one may not destroy trees in battle and where only “religious” Jews may serve[2]. It entails a social justice system where the poor are given dignity and the widow, orphan, stranger/immigrant is given extra care. It discourages ostentatious wealth and promotes humility, fairness, and responsibility. All of the above and more are the staple of sefer Devarim.
Our generation has been blessed to be able to fulfil – both personally and nationally – the mitzva to love G-d. May we embrace this mitzva with all our hearts and all our souls.
[1] It is most instructive that the Torah never explicitly commands that one must learn Torah; rather one must teach Torah. Of course, in order to teach one must learn but the primary goal of learning is to teach others and thereby inspire them to observe the mitzvot of the Torah.
[2] The Torah exempts – at least from the standing army - those who are “afraid and fainthearted” (Devarim 20:8). In addition to its plain meaning our Sages understood the verse to be a reference to those “who are afraid of the sins in their hands” – afraid that due to their sins they might lose Divine protection (Sotah 44a).
