Someone emailed me with a link to a newspaper article about a young woman posing as Jewish and gathering information to plan an attack on Jewish institutions in the country. The email mentioned that she was afraid of the situation...
Moreover, when one considers the common threats from the Iranian president to "wipe Israel off the map" or similar pronouncements from Hamas, etc., one might think that he should be afraid...
Now, when it comes to the mitzvah of fearing God, the question quickly arises: why should I fear God? Isn't it better to relate to Him in the form of love? It's common to see people identify the fear of God in a derogatory, negative way.
However, there is a very important difference between these two types of fear. The fear of an attack is a fear that leads to inaction. In fact, it is one of the components of assimilation, the fear of being called different (which is a form of aggression).
The fear of God is the opposite. It is a fear that leads to action, bringing with it a series of responsibilities toward God and other human beings that we call Mitzvot—Divine commandments.
In other words, fear of difference or of violence from others for being different leads to blending in with one's surroundings, to trying (unsuccessfully, because the reality is that one's essence always emerges, even in the most unexpected situations and places) to hide one's true self and become like everyone else. Whereas, fear of God leads to carefully observing His words.
What is the fear of God? In general, the fear of God is about understanding, through study and meditation, God's omnipresence, His Providence (that is, how He directs what happens in the world), as Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai said, "May you reach the level where the fear of heaven is like the fear of someone of flesh and blood.".
In simpler terms: God observes us at every moment, every action, word, and thought, and these are known and analyzed by God. This leads the person to act differently, to constantly improve in matters as mundane as the way they speak and act in general.
This leads to, as this week's Torah portion states, "Be holy, for I am holy," meaning that even in the simplest things in life, one should seek holiness, the Divine way of doing things.
That constant thought of "what does God want from me now" and "what would the Torah say about the situation I am living now" is the expression of the feeling of fear of God.
Judaism demands, the Ethics of our fathers says "The main thing is action.".