No Fear
There is a well known story about the Baal Shem Tov, then just five years-old, sitting at the deathbed of his father. His father's last words to him before passing away were:
"Yisroel, my son, do not fear anything other than Hashem. Love every single Jew, with all your heart and with the flame of your soul, no matter who or what he is."
I have always thought that this was an incredibly high level to aspire to. I cannot even imagine a level where one eradicates all fear aside from his fear of Hashem.
It makes me wonder that if I only feared Hashem, how would I have responded in this situation?
13 Comments:
I think that even if Hashem is all you fear that you have to also be concerned for the safety of your person which, I believe, goes hand in hand with the fear of Hashem and appreciation for his creation.
What about the rest of the qoute? Isn't anyone concerned about Love every single Jew? I think that is the greater problem! We have so much hate and dislike towards our fellow man!
Thank you for your comment ZooKeeper-Benjamin. I happen to agree with you, however the subject of this particular post was dedicated to fear. I have tried and continue to try to address the other issue you raised in other posts.
Sorry about that then.
No problem. No need to be sorry :)
I think that the biggest part of this battle is to try to make the effort to be like this and make it part of your life.
The way i learnt that quote from the Baal Shem Tov, is that you have two wings, to stay even and balanced in your serving Hashem, you need both equally (love and fear) if you just had fear you would only do things out of fear of punishment or retribution (like thinking my car isn't starting today cause I didn't put on Tefilin) as opposed to having the love too, which like having wings on both sides keeps you afloat.
Yes, yes, and yes once again! Jack, you hit the nail right on the head. You see these people sometimes, and they're really PASSIONATE about their beliefs, really live by their beliefs. And when one of those people says, "It's fine, Hashem will take care of us," they mean much more than the cliche "G-d will provide."
It's something that can't be explained, something that can only be seen, and perhaps someday experienced. It puts everything else into perspective. Fear holds us back from doing so much. Fear of rejection, fear of embarassment, fear of failure. But if all you fear is Hashem, and you know that Hashem's on your side, rooting for you to "go out there and get 'em!" then what on earth do you have to worry about?
It helps to get your priorities straight every once in a while...
Thanx SJ--Your blog, as always, has given me something more to think about! :)
I deeply believe that when one is in a perilous situation, or any situation that causes one to be afraid, then G-d gives the grace at that moment...and not a minute before. So, don't be afraid. One must trust in Him to provide at that particular time.
Thank you Anonymous for your comment hear and you comments on my other postings. Please send me an e-mail an introduce yourself if you are comfortable.
Have a good Shabbos!
So complicated. If it is God's plan that you should be roughed up by a bunch of thugs, you can't do anything to avoid that, can you? It WILL happend to you. But, one could argue that God told you to be smart and to avoid crossing them, which is why you avoided them. Is it fear or wisdom or God that tells you to go a different way? Who or what did you listen to?
I think that when you move in God's direction, fear is naturally defeated to a point, then you have to do some work to further erradicate it. Like a test. But if one has a wife and kids at home, and one appreciates the gift of life, then you make your decisions based on your appreciation. It's good to be grateful, no?
And with regards to the rest of the quote, perhaps we don't love others as our brothers and sisters (or even love our brothers and sisters like we should) out of fear, so the two are linked. Being physically beat up is nothing compared to investing time, energy, love, and trust in a risky person only to have it kind of explode in your face and hurt your feelings. Perhaps the point is to develop an attitude that is so positive and strong that volatile people can't rock your boat.
How about loving every human being instead of limiting the statement to just every jew?
Believe me, if jews had the reputation of being non-proselytizing christians then they would be the favorite people of the world. After all, it's hard not to like someone you know you can trust and who isn't in the business of judging you.
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