We love God because He is our Creator, our Breath of Life, the Source of all true good, our Savior, our Healer, and the substance of all that is real and significant… We are able to love because he discloses his love to us (1 John 4:19). We respond to God with a heart of gratitude and love, not out of fear of punishment; with a whole heart (כָּל־לֵבָב), not a heart divided by fear. The Torah says you are to love God be’khol levavkha (בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ), “with all your heart” – like Abraham, who loved God wholeheartedly; and you are to love God be’khol nafshekha (בְּכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ), “with all your soul” – like Isaac, who gave his soul over to God, willing to be sacrificed for our atonement; and you are to love God be’khol me’odekha (בְּכָל־מְאדֶךָ), “with all your muchness” – like Jacob who gave from his substance to support his children, the sons of Levi. And these words, namely, the words that return us to God’s love, shall today be on your heart (הַיּוֹם עַל־לְבָבֶךָ), which means we are to love God at all times, for this is the day that the LORD has made…
Hebrew Lesson:
- Deut. 6:5 lesson card (pdf)