Chapter 42

In this chapter the Alter Rebbe continues to explain the concept of the fear of Hashem. And for that, he uses a rather strange idea from our wise men.¹. When Moshe prepares the Jewish people to enter the Land of Israel, he tells them²“And now, Israel, what do you ask?” Hashem of you? Only that you fear Him!” Our sages ask: Is it really so easy to fear HashemWe see in reality that it's not so simple… Why does Moshe say it's the only thing that Hashem He asks, as if it were a small thing? And they answer: “Yes, for Moshe (who is the one who said that verse), the fear of Hashem "It's easy." But there's a problem with that answer: What good is it to say that it's easy for Moshe to fear Hashem, What if none of us is Moses? It's difficult for us to fear Hashem…

To explain this answer from our sages, the Alter Rebbe says that, in reality, every Jew has a spark of Moshe's soul within him, and that through that spark, each one can feel awe of Hashem.

Moreover, in each generation, sparks of Moses' soul descend from Paradise and are invested in the sages and spiritual leaders of that generation. In turn, they teach all Jews to know... Hashem, because according to the knowledge of Hashem The more we know Him, the better we will serve Him: the more we know Him. Hashem, let's serve it.

But the issue is not simply getting to know Hashem, but rather to fix our thoughts constantly, with great strength and energy, on Him. Because it's not the same to have an idea that something exists as it is to spend all day thinking about it. Just as when we see something, that thing is imprinted on our minds and we can't stop thinking about what we see, in the same way we should think about Hashem, as if we were constantly seeing Him. (This is what is called Understanding (daat), which the Alter Rebbe explained at the end of chapter 3).

This ability to know Hashem And to fix one's thoughts on Him is what Moses, who is called a faithful shepherd, gives to every Jew (through the sages of each generation). For just as a shepherd ensures his sheep have food, so too does Moses ensure that every Jew has understanding and knowledge of Hashem, which is what allows him to fear Hashem, because it's as if I were seeing Him.

But this fear doesn't automatically manifest itself simply because we have a part of Moshe's soul within us; we must work to reveal it. And this work, the Alter Rebbe explains, consists of two parts.

1) Work with the body, to prepare it so that it can feel Hashem, as explained in chapter 29.

2) A job done with the soul, to get her used to thinking about Hashem and in the ideas that lead to fear of Hashem. Because everyone is different, and a person might think of an idea for a short time and then be afraid to Hashem, While one person might have to think of several ideas and spend a lot of time before achieving the same feeling. It depends on each individual. But the key is to sincerely strive to think about Hashem all the time we need.

When we do it, we will surely feel fear. Hashem, because it is within everyone's reach (Here the Alter Rebbe refers to the level of "lower Fear", mentioned in chapter 41).

To understand this effort to reveal the fear of Hashem To put it a little better, the Alter Rebbe gives the example of someone digging deep in the earth to find hidden treasure: it takes a lot of effort to bring it to the surface. Of course, while the treasure is underground, it has no use; it only serves a purpose when it is unearthed. In the same way, every soul has a fear of Hashem By nature, from birth, the Alter Rebbe calls it a “Treasure of Heaven-fear,” but for it to truly affect us and change our thoughts, words, and actions, it needs to be revealed. And that involves work—a lot of it.

The Alter Rebbe continues explaining that Hashem He observes everything we do, say, and think. Even though He has no eyes to see us or ears to hear us, etc., nevertheless, as Hashem He creates everything; He knows every part of His creation. Just as each person knows everything that happens with their own body, in the same way... Hashem He knows everything that happens in the entire universe.

But this idea of comparing the soul of man (which knows what is happening in his body) with Hashem (who knows everything that happens in the world), is just one example that serves to make us aware that Hashem He sees everything and knows everything. He is far superior to the soul. Be that as it may, every Jew has absolute faith that Hashem Go and find out everything.

The Alter Rebbe then summarizes the ideas: when we think for a long time, every day, that Hashem Seeing all our actions, hearing all our words, and knowing all our thoughts, at all times and in all places, we can fix the fear of Hashem in our hearts, and that will help us fulfill all the Mitzvot. Because when we face the challenge of whether to fulfill a Mitzvah Or not, it will suffice to think a little about Hashem, And we will quickly come to fear Him.

It's like when we do a lot of math exercises: the more we practice, the faster we can solve new problems. The same is true with the fear of HashemThe more we get used to thinking about Him, the faster we will feel His presence and the fear of Him.

This is the fear of Hashem Which for Moshe, that is, for the spark of Moshe's soul within each of us, is very easy to attain. The important thing is that we meditate on the presence of Hashem constantly, for a long time, and every day.

After this explanation, a question may arise: is it true that we need to think about Hashem, in which He fills the whole earth, and sees, hears, and knows everything, but, in the end, we do not see Him. Hashem with our own flesh and blood eyes. And it can happen that, even though we think about Him a lot, we don't feel fear of Him, because we simply don't see Him.

To answer this question, the Alter Rebbe gives an example: just as when we are in front of a king of flesh and blood, the fear we have of him is not of his body, but of his life force, because when the king is sleeping and his life force is not visible, we do not fear him, in the same way, when we see the world around us, we must know that what is important is the life force that is within it, which is Hashem.

And despite the fact that Hashem It is very hidden within the world; in the same way, the king's life force is hidden within his body: what difference does it make if the king has one or many garments? We will still fear him! Because what matters is the king's life force, not his garments. The same applies to Hashem and the world:Hashem He is dressed in many clothes! But he is still there, and he sees, hears, and knows everything.

When we get used to thinking about these ideas and fixing them in our minds, we will fear Hashem.

And if that still doesn't work, the Alter Rebbe mentions another idea that can help us: the concept of accepting the Yoke of Heaven (kabalat olThe yoke is a piece of wood that was placed on cows to make them walk in the direction the man wanted, helping him plow a field. Just as the cow has the yoke, we have the “yoke of Hashem”This means that we need to know that Hashem He is the King, He is the one who commands, and He set aside the heavens and all the angels who faithfully serve Him to be our King, our personal King. Therefore, we must accept what He says and obey His commands. Mitzvot.