Is Love Enough?

Question

I know Hashem is very loving and He loves me. Therefore, I don’t think He will mind that I am not keeping the commandments. He knows that I am spiritual and love Him in ways that make sense and are meaningful to me, and that I am a good person. Isn’t this enough?

Thanks!

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    I understand why you feel as you do. However, I hope you will not mind my suggesting that I think that you are being a little disingenuous. Love is more than just an internal emotion that requires no external effort. Love is also the way that a person interacts with the one that they love.

    For example, there is a vital ingredient missing in a marriage where neither side ever expresses their love for their spouse. A relationship where neither side gives gifts or reveals any expression of their love is a relationship that is lacking one of the most obvious – if not the most obvious – signs of love.

    Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler writes that the Hebrew word for love – Ahavah – has the word “hav” as its root and its two middle letters. “Hav” means “give.” This indicates that the essence of love is giving. Through giving, two people can become one. It is through giving that one shows the extent of their love for another.

    So too, in our relationship with God we show our love for Him by keeping His teachings and showing Him that we are happy to do as He has instructed. Without our displaying the external signs of love, there is no way of showing that we love God. In addition, without external displays and reminders of our love, it becomes increasingly more and more difficult to sustain this love.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team