(a.) Duties of the Heart.
1. Fear of God. יראת השם—The true knowledge of God, of His Wisdom and
Greatness, as visible in His works, leads us to fear God; that is, to
fear doing anything that might displease Him and make us unworthy of
His love. It is not a fear that terrifies us and drives us away from
His presence; on the contrary, it draws us nearer to Him, and causes us
to try to become more and more worthy of His love.
“And now, O Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to
fear the Lord thy God?” (Deut. x. 12).
“If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are
written in this book, that thou mayest fear this name which is to be
honoured and revered, the Lord thy God; then the Lord will make thy
plagues wonderful” (Deut. xxviii. 58).
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. i. 7).
“The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord” (Ps. cxi. 10).
“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil” (Prov. viii. 13).
“The fear of the Lord prolongeth days” (Prov. x. 27).
“Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of
man” (Eccles. xii. 13).
“He who possesses learning but is without fear of God, resembles a
treasurer who has the key for the inner door, but not for the outer
one” (Babyl. Talm. Sabb. 31b).
“Everything is in the hand of God except the fear of God” (Babyl. Talm.
Ber. 33b). [32]
2. Love of God. אהבת השם—The true fear of God is associated with the
love of God. The latter means the constant longing for communion with
Him, feeling happy and joyful when with Him, but unhappy and miserable
when without Him. Love of God creates in us an anxiety to do everything
in our power that might please the Almighty. He who is filled with love
of God is חסיד, pious; he does not rest content with doing what he is
commanded, but anxiously seeks the opportunity of fulfilling a Divine
command; he is רודף אחר המצות, “eager in the pursuit of Mitsvoth.”
The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge, but love of God is the
aim and end of all our religious thinking and striving.
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deut. vi. 5).
“The Lord preserveth all those who love him (Ps. cxlv. 20).
“Thou wilt show me the path of life. In thy presence is fulness of joy;
in thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. xvi. 11).
“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after
thee, O God” (Ps. xlii. 2).
“Blessed are they who dwell in thy house: they will be still praising
thee” (Ps. lxxxiv. 5).
“The desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee”
(Isa. xxvi. 8).
“I will rejoice in the Lord; I will joy in the God of my salvation”
(Hab. iii. 18).
3. Gratitude towards God.—All that we possess, the very breath we
breathe, is a present received at the hands of the Almighty. Whatever
success we desire to achieve, whatever undertaking we desire to
accomplish, we must ourselves first strive for it to the utmost of our
power, and this done, we may hope for the Divine blessing. When we have
attained what we sought, we are warned against believing that “our
power and the strength of our hand hath gotten us this wealth.” We are
to “remember the Lord our God, for it is he that giveth us power to get
wealth” (Deut. viii. 17–18).
“For all things come of thee, and of thine own hand have we given thee”
(1 Chron. xxix. 14).
“Whoso offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifieth me” (Ps. l.
23).
“Though all sacrifices should cease, the sacrifice of thanksgiving will
never cease” (Vayyikra Rabba ix.).
4. Reverence for His Name.—The more we fear and love God, the deeper
and the more intense is our feeling of reverence for everything which
is connected in our thoughts with the name of the Almighty. Whenever we
enter a place dedicated to His worship, or open the Book that bears His
name, or celebrate the days set apart as “seasons of the Lord,” this
feeling of reverence overcomes us, and finds expression in our conduct.
The reverence for the name of God impels us also to respect ministers
and teachers who spend their life in spreading the knowledge of God and
His Will.
“How awful is this place! this is none other but the house of God”
(Gen. xxviii. 17).
“I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy
fear will I worship toward thy holy temple” (Ps. v. 8).
“When I will publish the name of the Lord, ascribe ye greatness unto
our God” (Deut. xxxii. 3).
5. Obedience to the Will of God.—Whatever the Almighty, whom we love
and fear, bids us do, we not only do, but find pleasure in doing.
“To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as
iniquity and idolatry” (1 Sam. xv. 22, 23).
“But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be
your God, and ye shall be my people” (Jer. vii. 23).
“Thy statutes have been my song in the house of my pilgrimage” (Ps.
cxix. 54).
“Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the
rejoicing of my heart” (Ps. cxix. 111).
“Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou
opened; burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then
said I, Lo, I come with the volume of the book written for me: I
delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is written within my
heart” (Ps. xl. 7–9).
6. Faith and Confidence in God.—God is All-kind, All-wise, and
All-powerful. The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all His
creatures: He wills that which is good for us. Being All-wise, He knows
best what is good for us, and by what means it can be attained; being
All-powerful, He can always carry His Will into effect. He is,
therefore, the only Being to whom we can safely entrust ourselves
everywhere and always. In His words and commands, exhortations and
warnings, we have the best and surest guide through life. Our
confidence in God causes us to turn to Him for help in time of need,
and for comfort in time of sorrow.
“Into his hand I commend my spirit, when I sleep and when I wake; and
with my spirit my body also: the Lord is for me, and I shall not fear”
(Daily Prayers, Morning Service).
“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord
is” (Jer. xvii. 7).
“Trust in the Lord, and do good” (Ps. xxxvii. 3).
“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine
heart; and wait on the Lord” (Ps. xxvii. 14).
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps. xxiii. 1).
7. Resignation to the Will of God.—Trusting in God’s goodness, we are
contented with the lot which He determined for us. When we are
prosperous we hope for His protection, lest we become corrupted and
unworthy of His goodness; when we fail, faith in God will keep us from
despair and encourage us to fresh attempts; when misfortune befalls us
which it is impossible for us to remedy, we resign ourselves unto His
Will, and say, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away! blessed be
the Name of the Lord!”
“My flesh and my heart failed; but God is the strength of my heart and
my portion for ever” (Ps. lxxiii. 26).
“I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for
his mercy is great” (2 Sam. xxiv. 14).
“We are bound to bless God in evil even as we bless Him in good
fortune. It is written: ‘And thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with
all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might’ (Deut.
vi. 5); love Him with all thy soul or life—i.e., even though for His
sake thou risk thy life; and with all thy wealth—that is, whatever
measure He metes out to thee, acknowledge with exceeding gratitude”
[33] (Mishnah Berachoth ix. 5).
(b.) Duties towards God: In Speech.
The feelings of fear and love of God, of reverence, obedience, faith,
gratitude, and resignation, must also find adequate expression in our
speech. God, the Omniscient, knows our thoughts and sentiments, and
there would be no necessity for giving them an outward expression, if
we only intended thereby to make them known to the Almighty. But as in
our relations to our fellow-men—e.g., to our parents or to our
children—we frequently, in obedience to an irresistible impulse,
communicate to them in words what we think and what we feel, even when
convinced that we only tell them things well known to them already, so
we address the Almighty, who is everywhere near unto us, and listens to
our speech, although our wishes are known to Him before we utter them,
and our innermost feelings are open before Him before we express them
in words. We are aware that there is an immeasurable difference between
the Divine Being and earthly creatures like ourselves. We know that He
is not subject to human weaknesses, and that the audible sound of words
cannot move Him more than the thoughts and feelings that prompt the
words to come forth. And yet the mere communion of our heart with our
Creator does not satisfy us; we feel ourselves impelled by some inner
force to give it an outward expression. Besides, there is a constant
interaction between our thoughts and our spoken words. Thoughts and
feelings that remain unspoken, are seldom permanent: we soon cease to
be conscious of them ourselves, and they often disappear without
leaving any trace behind them, whilst sentiments and ideas expressed in
spoken words become strengthened and take a deeper and firmer root in
our hearts. The relationship between our lips and our heart is
therefore of mutual benefit to both: the words uttered with the lips
receive their value and importance from the heart, and the emotions of
the heart derive strength and support from the lips.
1. Prayer.—All our feelings and sentiments towards the Almighty, our
love and fear, faith and confidence, gratitude and resignation, find in
Divine worship their due expression. When our soul is full of the love
of God, and yearns for His presence, we call upon Him in hymns and
songs of praise, and He is “nigh to all them who call upon him, to all
that call upon him in truth” (Ps. cxlv. 18).
“I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my
God while I have any being. Let my meditation be sweet unto him: I will
rejoice in the Lord” (Ps. civ. 33, 34).
“Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for
it is pleasant, and praise is comely” (Ps. cxlvii. 1).
“I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in
my mouth” (Ps. xxxiv. 2).
“O Lord, open my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise” (Ps.
li. 17)
Our desire to please Him whom we love sincerely, our longing for an
opportunity to do what is good in His eyes, ought not to remain hidden
and silent. The sooner and the more frequently we give expression to
these wishes in audible words, the sooner do they become realised, and
the sooner are the promptings of our heart followed by deeds.
“With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth” (Ps.
cxix. 13).
“How sweet are thy words unto my palate! yea, sweeter to my mouth than
honey” (Ps. cxix. 103).
“Let my tongue sing of thy word; for all thy commandments are
righteousness” (Ps. cxix. 172).
We fear lest we offend and displease Him by our words or acts; we
recall to our mind the holiness of a God “who has no pleasure in
wickedness, and with whom evil shall not sojourn” (Ps. v. 5); we not
only meditate on the Holy One, but speak and sing of Him. Our
meditation finds expression in songs on the holiness of God, and these
songs again supply fresh material for meditation; we thus hope to fence
and guard our heart against the intrusion of anything unworthy of the
presence of the Most Holy.
“Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? and who shall stand in his holy
place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart” (Ps. xxiv. 3, 4).
“I will wash mine hands in innocency; so will I compass thine altar”
(Ps. xxvi. 6).
Our weakness and helplessness in many conditions of life fill us with
trouble and care. When we enjoy good health, we fear a change might
take place; in possession of wealth, we are in anxiety: it might be
taken from us. The pleasures of home and family we know to be but
temporary: how soon may sorrow visit us there! From all these fears and
anxieties we seek and find refuge in Him, who is “a stronghold to the
weak, a stronghold in times of trouble” (Ps. ix. 10). We tell Him
confidently all the troubles and cares of our heart, as we would do to
a friend who is always willing and ready to help us. We have faith in
God, and therefore we approach Him with our petitions; and when we have
poured forth our heart before the All-merciful we feel more at ease,
and our faith and confidence have gained in strength.
“He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in
trouble; I will deliver him and honour him” (Ps. xci. 15).
“When they have cried unto the Lord in their trouble, he will save them
out of their distresses” (Ps. cvii. 6).
“Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon
him as long as I live. When I find trouble and sorrow, then will I call
upon the name of the Lord. When I take the cup of salvation, then will
I call upon the name of the Lord” (Ps. cxvi. 2, 4, 13).
“What sufferings may be called chastisements of love? Such as do not
prevent us from prayer” (Babyl. Talm. Ber. 5a).
“Even when the edge of the sword touches already a man’s neck, even
then he must not abandon his faith in praying to God” (Babyl. Talm.
Ber. 10a).
“‘I was asleep, but my heart was awake;’ I have no sacrifices, but I
have ‘Shema’ and ‘Prayer’” (Shir ha-shirim Rabba on v. 2).
“‘Hope in the Lord,’ and pray again” (Rabboth, Deuter., chap. ii.).
Our Rabbis teach, “Prayer is good for man both before his fate has been
decreed and after it has been decreed” (Babyl. Talm. Rosh-hashshanah,
p. 16a). But at the same time we are warned against impatiently
expecting and demanding an immediate effect from the words uttered by
our lips, however devoutly they may have been spoken. Such
expectation—denounced in the Talmud as עיון תפלה [34]—would indicate
our confidence in the wisdom of our petition, whilst confidence in the
wisdom and goodness of God would suggest that “the Lord will do what is
good in his eyes.”
We give expression to our feelings of gratitude towards our benefactor
by acknowledging the fact, that whatever we enjoy, we are enabled to
enjoy through His kindness. The various blessings formulated by our
Sages serve a double purpose: first, they facilitate the expression of
our feelings; secondly, they remind us of the presence of the Almighty,
and of His goodness in providing for us and all His creatures. From the
time we awake in the morning till the evening when we lie down to
sleep, there is not a moment that does not bring to our knowledge some
Divine act of kindness towards us. In the morning we perceive the
benefit of light, in the evening we have reason to welcome the blessing
of repose it brings with it, while the interval between the two periods
constantly reveals to him who does not wilfully shut his eyes the hand
of Him “who is good, and whose loving-kindness endureth for ever.”
“I will give thanks to thee, for thou hast answered me, and art become
my salvation” (Ps. cxviii. 21).
“I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanks giving” (Jon. ii.
10).
“Though all prayers were to be discontinued, prayers of thanksgiving
will never be discontinued” (Vayyikra Rabba, chap. ix.).
When things happen which are not pleasant to us, which give us pain and
sorrow, we ought to consider that the plans of God are different from
our plans, and His ways from our ways, and what He wills is better for
us than our own wishes. With resignation, without murmuring, we ought
to utter words of praise and thanks to the Almighty.
“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of
the Lord” (Job i. 21).
“Learn to say, ‘Whatever the Almighty does, is done for our good’”
(Babyl. Talm. Ber. 60b).
Public Service.—Man has a natural desire to communicate his sentiments
to his fellow-men, and finds a certain pleasure or relief in knowing
that others share in his joys and sorrows. The same is the case with
regard to his sentiments towards the Most High. If, yearning for
communion with God, we fervently appeal to Him in solitude, where we
are undisturbed by the intrusion of any other person, it will not be
long before we shall feel ourselves in the very presence of Him who is
“nigh to all those who call upon him in truth.” Standing before the
Almighty, the Creator and Master of the whole Universe as well as of
ourselves, we should like all nature to join in His praises, and we
summon the inhabitants of the heavens above, His angels and hosts, sun,
moon, and all the stars of light; and the dwellers on earth below,
inanimate and animate, irrational and rational, kings with their
peoples, to come and to praise the name of God (Ps. cxlviii.). Such
moments of solitary devotion are very precious, and are by no means to
be despised. But they are not frequent, and not always successful.
Public worship has this advantage, that the object of our meeting, the
holiness of the place, and the union in a worship with our fellow-men
combine to create, maintain, or intensify our devotion. Although each
one has his individual wants, joys, and sorrows, there are many wants,
joys, and sorrows which we have all in common, and concerning which we
may in common give expression to our feelings in prayer, praise, and
thanksgiving.
“Bless ye the Lord in congregations” (Ps. lxviii. 27).
“If ten pray together, the presence of God is with them” (Babyl. Talm.
Ber. 6a).
“‘But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time’
(Ps. lxix. 14): which is the acceptable time? The time of public
worship” (Babyl. Talm. Ber. 8a).
2. Study of the Law (תלמוד תורה).—Another way of employing speech in
the service of the Lord is the reading and the study of the Word of
God: the Holy Scriptures and their Commentaries. Our love and reverence
of God ought to induce us frequently to consult the book which contains
His commandments, and which He has given us as a guide and companion.
Even if we derived no further benefit than the consciousness of having
spent some time in reading His Word revealed to us by the mouth of the
Prophets, the time thus spent would not be wasted. But we derive a
further advantage. It is impossible to imagine that our devoting a
certain time, however short it may be, to the reading of the words of
the Most Holy should have no purifying influence upon us, provided we
approach the book before us with due reverence, and with the intention
to be guided by its teachings.
Joshua, when placed at the head of the nation, is exhorted by the
Almighty as follows: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy
mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all that is written therein” (Joshua i. 8).
“As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord: my spirit
that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall
not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out
of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and
for ever.” (Is. lix., 21)
3. Teaching.—The gift of speech is of service also in communicating our
thoughts, feelings, and convictions to our fellow-men. They who are
able to read the Word of God and to understand it, ought to read and
expound it to those who are less favoured; they who feel the presence
of God, and comprehend His holiness, goodness, and unity, ought to
direct the hearts of their brethren to God, His words and works. It is
a special duty and privilege of the Jew to proclaim and teach the
Existence and the Unity of God—יחוד הבורא.
“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk
of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the
way, and when thou liest down and when thou risest up” (Deut. vi. 7).
“Happy are we! how goodly is our portion, and how pleasant is our lot,
and how beautiful our heritage! Happy are we who early and late,
morning and evening, twice every day, declare, ‘Hear, O Israel, the
Lord is our God, the Lord is One’!” (Daily Prayers, Morning Service).
4. Reverence of the Name of God.—The mention of the name of God ought
to make us most careful about that which we utter in connection with
it. If a person makes a promise or statement on oath carelessly or with
levity, he shows that he has no reverence of the name of God; no fear
of God. It is only through such irreverence that a person is capable of
breaking the third commandment. Blasphemy, a sin treated in the Bible
as a capital crime, has likewise its source in want of due reverence of
God’s name. In order to preserve and strengthen that reverence we must
avoid pronouncing the Divine name too frequently. Hence arose the
custom of substituting such words as השם “the Name,” המקום “the
Omnipresent,” for the names of God, and employing in ordinary writing
letters like ה or ד or יי instead of any of the Divine names. In
writing single letters instead of the full names we also intend to
guard ourselves against causing irreverence towards the name of God; as
our writing is frequently destroyed or liable to be thrown among the
refuse. This precaution, dictated by a feeling of reverence for God and
His name, serves at the same time to strengthen that feeling. [35]
From the same reason, the word which is exclusively used as a name of
God, the Tetragrammaton, [36] was rarely pronounced, and in reading the
Bible the word Adonai, “My Lord,” is substituted wherever it occurs. It
was only pronounced in the Temple by the High-priest on the Day of
Atonement, in the Confession of Sins, and in the Prayer for
Forgiveness; and by the ordinary priests when they blessed the people
in accordance with the Divine precepts (Num. vi. 24–26). Since the
destruction of the Temple the Tetragrammaton has not been pronounced,
and thus it has come about that the right pronunciation of the word is
at present unknown.
5. The consciousness that we frequently address the Almighty with our
lips, and read His Holy Word, ought to make us strive for the utmost
purity and holiness in our speech. When the prophet Isaiah, in a Divine
vision, perceived the majesty of the Most High, and heard the sound of
His ministering angels proclaiming His holiness, a sense of his own
failings forced even from this chosen messenger of God the confession,
“Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man, unclean in lips, and I
dwell in the midst of a people unclean in lips, for mine eyes have seen
the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isa. vi. 5).
Duties towards God: In our Actions.
Rabbi Jose teaches, “Let all thy deeds be in the service of heaven,”
כל מעשיך יהיו לשם שמים (Sayings of the Fathers, ii. 12).
The feeling of love and fear of God which fills our heart and soul, and
to which we frequently give expression in words, must also be visible
in our actions. Our whole life must be devoted to His service, and
ought to be one continuous worship of God. Every act of ours must aim
at the sanctification of His name. He has revealed unto us His Will,
and shown us the way in which we should walk; unconditional submission
to His guidance and strict obedience to His command should distinguish
the people of the Lord. True love of God and faith in His goodness make
us “bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a stag, and strong
as a lion to carry out the will of our Father in heaven” (Sayings of
the Fathers, v. 20). For what could be the value of our professions of
love for God, if we refused to listen attentively to His voice, to walk
in the way He has prepared for us, or to observe His statutes? From
this point of view we may consider all our duties as duties towards
God, since their fulfilment implies obedience to His Will. But there
are certain duties which chiefly or exclusively concern our relations
to God. Such duties are: the observance of Sabbath and Festivals,
providing reminders of God’s Presence, establishing and supporting
Public Worship, sanctifying God’s Name (קדוש השם), and imitating His
ways. Of these duties, the first three will be fully treated in special
sections.
The sanctification of God’s Name is a duty incumbent on all mankind,
but it is incumbent on us Jews in a higher degree, for we are called
the people of the Lord, the chosen people, a holy nation, and a kingdom
of priests. We sanctify the name of God by remaining faithful to Him
and to His Word, resisting every kind of force or temptation to turn us
away from our faith, making sacrifices for our holy religion, and
conducting ourselves in such a manner that our fellow-men may become
convinced that the tree of our Law bears good and holy fruit. Every
action that brings disgrace upon us as Israelites, and causes our
neighbours to despise “the people of the Lord, who profess to be the
guardians of the revealed Torah,” is חלול השם “Profanation of the
Name of God.” “And ye shall not profane my holy name, but I will be
hallowed among the children of Israel” (Lev. xxii. 32).
“Profanation of the name of God is a greater sin even than idolatry”
(Babyl. Talm. Sanhedrin 106a).
Imitating the Ways of God.—We know that God is perfect, and that all
His ways are perfect; we are conscious also of our weakness and of the
impossibility of ever becoming perfect. But this conviction must not
deter us from seeking perfection as far as our nature permits it, or
from setting before us the ways of God as an example for us to follow,
as the aim which should direct the course of our life, the balance in
which to weigh our actions, and the test by which to determine their
value.
“Ye shall be holy; for I, the Lord your God, am holy” (Lev. xix. 2).
“I set the Lord always before me” (Ps. xvi. 8).
“‘Ye shall walk after the Lord your God’ (Deut. xiii. 5). Is it
possible for man to walk after the Lord? Has it not been said, ‘The
Lord thy God is a consuming fire’? (ibid. iv. 24). The meaning of the
verse, however, is this: Follow the ways of God: He clothes the naked,
as we are told, ‘And the Lord God made coats of skin for Adam and his
wife’ (Gen. iii. 21); do the same. He visits the sick, as is indicated
in the words, ‘And God appeared to him in the plain of Mamre’ (ibid.
xviii. 1); you must also visit the sick. He comforts the mourners, as
appears from the passage, ‘And it came to pass after the death of
Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaak’ (ibid. xxv. 11); do the same,
and comfort mourners,” &c. (Babyl. Talm. Sotah 14a).
It may happen that we are sometimes disposed to exclude a fellow-man
from our brotherly love. It would be against human nature to love those
who have hurt or wronged us. But, on the other hand, we are taught that
we must keep our heart free from feelings of revenge and hatred. If an
offence has been committed against us by our brother, the Law directs
us as follows: “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart; thou
shalt surely reprove thy neighbour, and not bear sin against him. Thou
shalt not revenge, and thou shalt not keep a grudge against the
children of thy people, but love thy fellow-man like thyself: I am the
Lord” (Lev. xix. 17, 18). The traditional interpretation illustrates
revenge and grudge in the following way: If your neighbour, after
having been unkind to you, is in need of your assistance, and you
refuse it on the ground of his want of kindness towards you, you are
guilty of revenge; if you grant him his request, but at the same time
remind him of his unkind conduct, you are guilty of “bearing a grudge
against your neighbour.” (Sifra, ad locum.)