Loving God With Both Inclinations and Every Measure

Midrash Aggadah, Deuteronomy 6:5

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

"And you shall love." Greater is the one who acts out of love than the one who acts out of fear. "With all your heart" (be-khol levavekha) — with your two inclinations, with the good inclination and with the evil inclination. "And with all your soul" (u-ve-khol nafshekha) — even if He comes to take your soul, do not serve idolatry; because there is a person whose soul is more precious to him than his money, and therefore it says "with all your soul." Another interpretation: "with all your might" (be-khol me'odekha) — with every measure that He measures out to you, whether good or whether bad. And as it says, "Of lovingkindness and judgment I will sing" (Psalms 101:1), and it says, "In God I will praise the word; in the LORD I will praise the word" (Psalms 56:11).

Themes

Evil InclinationMartyrdomDivine Justice

Biblical References

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