הָמ לֵאָרְ שִּי הָ תַעְוה' א לוק יִּּכ ךָ מִּעֵמ לֵאֹ ש ךיאִּם לְיִּרְ אָה אֶת ה' א לֹוק ְּב תֶכֶלָל ךיכל ויָכָרְ ד הָבֲהַאְל ו אֹתוֹ וְלַעֲבֹד אֶת ה' א לֹוק ְב ךיכל ךְבָבְל כב ול : ךֶ שְפַנ (דברים י, יב)
Now, Israel, what does Hashem your G-d require of you, but to fear Hashem your G-d, to walk in all his ways, love him, and serve Hashem your G-d with all your heart and soul.
This possuk is teaching us that we do not have to do much for Hashem; there are parts of Avodas Hashem from which we are exempt, all Hashem wants is that we should fear Him. The Ohr Hachaim explains the meaning of this possuk based on the two possible types of Avodas Hashem.
The first level is that of fear of Heaven. The higher level of Avodas Hashem is that of Love of Heaven. Moshe Rabbeinu is telling Klal Yisroel that Hashem only demands of Klal Yisroel that they serve Him with fear. Yiras Shamayim is imperative, not Ahavas Hashem.
The Ohr Hachaim explains why this is so. Fear of Hashem is an all-embracing emotion. All of a person’s actions will change if he experiences genuine fear of Hashem at all times. If he honestly fears Hashem, he will be too afraid to do anything against Hashem’s will, taking the consequences into account.
Moreover, fear and reverence for Hashem are forerunners to Love of Hashem. When a person begins with fear, he will inevitably end up loving Him. All a person needs to do is develop his fear. This is the meaning of the possuk when it tells us, ‘Now what does Hashem demand of us but fear’. Now, when they are in the initial phases of Avodas Hashem, all Hashem asks from us is that we fear Him. This is not the end goal of our job with Hashem; this is only temporary, for the initial phase. Eventually, we will reach love of Hashem.
This also explains why the possuk calls Yiras Shamayim with a dismissive מה וגו' כי אם – what is it etc. merely fear of Heaven. Fear of Heaven, in relation to Love of Hashem, is a minor matter.
This is the meaning of the Gemara when it asks on this possuk ‘Is Yiras Shamayim a minor matter etc.’ The Gemara expresses the difficulty all of us have when attempting to increase our fear of Heaven. How can the possuk consider Yiras Shamayim a minor matter? The Gemara indeed answers that it is only to be considered a minor matter for people like Moshe Rabbeinu, who had already achieved true Love of Hashem.
Yiras Shamayim and Teshuva
The Ohr Hachaim offers another explanation of this possuk. Sometimes, a person may become confused about his position with Hashem. He may think that after he has done an aveira, his Mitzvos are no longer acceptable in Hashem’s eyes. He may think that he will never manage to understand Hashem’s will any more, as his Neshama has been sullied by his aveira. The Yetzer Hara convinces him that he will never return once he has been distanced from Hashem. To this, the Torah says ועתה, about which Chazal often say אין ועתה אלא לשון תשובה the word ועתה is an expression of Teshuva. The message of this possuk is that even after a person has done an aveira, all he needs is Yiras Shamayim. If he increases his Yiras Shamayim, his Teshuva will be accepted, and his Mitzvos will be considered on High.
The possuk continues ללכת בכל דרכיו – to walk in all of his paths. The Ohr Hachaim explains this with a Medrash. The Medrash says, ‘If you have done bundles of averos, you should correspondingly do bundles of Mitzvos’.
The Rambam writes in his Peirush on Mishnayos: If a person does not anger his Creator, even if he only performed one Mitzvah in his life, that Mitzvah can bring him merits in this world and the next, allowing him to live.
The question stands, which is it? Are we obligated to do ‘bundles of Mitzvos’, or is one alone sufficient?
The Ohr Hachaim quotes a story with two royal slaves. One of them had never angered the king in his life, and he came to meet the king with a gift of a small bird in his hand. The second one angered the king, and came to greet him with a gift of a large ox. It stands to reason that the king was more pleased with the one who never angered him and would be displeased with the person who brought the ox, not because of the gifts that they bore. but because of the anger that preceded the gifts.
This is why the Torah tells us to perform bundles of Mitzvos. When we have not angered Hashem at all, a small number of Mitzvos is sufficient. But when we have angered Hashem and done aveiros, that is when we need to do many Mitzvos.
In this possuk, where Teshuva is being discussed, we need to ‘go in all of his ways’. One Mitzvah is insufficient.
