Understanding the Mitzvah of Fearing God

The mitzvah to fear Hashem is the fourth of the six constant mitzvot—commandments that are always binding, regardless of time or circumstance. This commandment is found in Devarim 10:20, where it says, “You shall fear the Lord your God; to Him you shall serve, and to Him you shall cling, and by His name you shall swear.” The Maharal (Derech Chaim, Pirkei Avot 1:5) explains the difference between loving Hashem and fearing Him:

You should know that the difference between love and fear is as follows: Love leads to the performance of commandments, because a person who loves God loves His commandments and strives to do all that He commands. Fear, on the other hand, prevents sin, because someone who fears another is afraid to transgress their commands. This is why there is the expression “Yirat Cheit – the fear of sin” (Berakhot 16a).

…[The Sages said] “The one who loves will not forget anything they were commanded to do, and the one who fears will not do anything they were warned against doing,” because fear plays a major role in the prohibitive commandments.

The fear of Hashem is crucial in ensuring that we don’t become too casual or careless in our relationship with Him, especially when it comes to following His commandments. Without this fear, we might start to take His commandments lightly, thinking that He won’t mind if we don’t follow them or that He will overlook our actions. This kind of thinking can lead to the belief that Hashem will always forgive us, even without teshuva, and we may become too comfortable, treating His commandments with a lax attitude. The fear of Hashem helps maintain respect and seriousness in our observance of His laws.

The fear of Hashem is not about being afraid of Him, but rather about having a deep sense of respect and reverence for His holiness and the importance of His commandments. This type of “fear of sin” comes from understanding that disobeying Hashem’s commandments leads to negative consequences, and this awareness helps keep us accountable and focused on doing what is right.

The teaching from Chazal explains that love motivates us to do what is right because we genuinely want to please Hashem. Fear plays a different role: it helps keep us from straying too far, especially when our feelings or desires may not always align with what is right. In other words, even if we don’t always feel like pleasing Hashem, fear acts as a safeguard to prevent us from completely disregarding His commandments. It ensures that our actions aren’t based solely on how we feel at any given moment, but are instead guided by a deeper respect and reverence for Hashem’s authority. This balance of love and fear helps us stay on track, even when our emotions might not always be in the right place. It is what stops us from justifying our actions or disregarding Hashem’s commands, assuming He will be lenient with our mistakes.

The Rambam (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 2:2) offers a perspective on how we can attain both love and fear of Hashem – he explains that both can be achieved through deep contemplation:

What is the path [to attain] love and fear of Him? When a person contemplates His wondrous and great deeds and creations and appreciates His infinite wisdom that surpasses all comparison, he will immediately love, praise, and glorify [Him], yearning with tremendous desire to know [God’s] great name, as David stated: “My soul thirsts for the Lord, for the living God” [Tehillim 42:3].

When he [continues] to reflect on these same matters, he will immediately recoil in awe and fear, appreciating how he is a tiny, lowly, and dark creature, standing with his flimsy, limited, wisdom before He who is of perfect knowledge, as David stated: “When I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers… [I wonder] what is man that You should recall Him” [Tehillim 8:4-5].

The Rambam teaches that the path to developing both love and fear of Hashem is through this dual process of appreciation and humility. First, one is drawn to love Hashem by contemplating His greatness, and then, through deeper reflection, one comes to fear Hashem, recognizing how small and insignificant one is in comparison to the enormity of Hashem and His creation. 

The Rambam uses the imagery of being “flimsy” and having “limited wisdom” to convey that human beings are fragile and small compared to Hashem’s perfect knowledge and wisdom. While human intelligence is finite and constrained by time and space, Hashem’s knowledge is infinite and beyond any human comprehension. This realization brings about a sense of awe and reverence—almost like stepping back in awe before something overwhelmingly powerful and majestic.

The fear of Hashem is not about being afraid of Him, but rather about having a deep sense of respect and reverence for His holiness and the importance of His commandments. This type of “fear of sin” comes from understanding that disobeying Hashem’s commandments leads to negative consequences, and this awareness helps keep us accountable and focused on doing what is right.

The Rambam draws on King David’s words in Tehillim 8:4-5 to illustrate this feeling of awe. David looks up at the heavens, the moon, and the stars—the work of Hashem’s “fingers”—and marvels at the vastness and beauty of the universe. He then contemplates the question: “What is man that You should recall him?” David is amazed by the fact that, despite the immensity of creation, Hashem cares about and remembers humanity. David’s reflection on the grandeur of the universe makes him feel humbled by the thought that, in comparison to Hashem’s greatness, humans are so small and insignificant.

Thus, the “awe and fear” that the Rambam describes comes from this recognition of human limitations. When we truly understand how much greater and wiser Hashem is than we are, it leads us to feel humbled and appreciative. The “fear” here is not about being afraid in the conventional sense, but rather a deep and respectful recognition of Hashem’s ultimate power and our own dependence on Him.

In conclusion, the mitzvah to fear Hashem, plays a crucial role in maintaining a balanced and respectful relationship with God. While love motivates us to fulfill His commandments out of a desire to please Him, fear serves as a safeguard, preventing us from disregarding His laws or becoming too casual in our observance. This “fear” is not about being afraid, but about acknowledging our own limitations in the face of Hashem’s infinite wisdom and power. The Rambam teaches that through contemplation of Hashem’s wondrous deeds, we come to love Him deeply and simultaneously develop a healthy fear that keeps us grounded in humility and accountability. By balancing both love and fear, we ensure our actions remain aligned with Hashem’s will, rooted in respect, reverence, and a deep understanding of His authority.