One time, the Divrei Shmuel, zt”l, was sitting next to Rav Mottel Slonimer, zt”l, when the Divrei Shmuel told over a story that had happened to him. The city’s water carrier was a simple fellow who didn’t know more than the very basics of Yiddishkeit. His daughter was nearing the age of seeking a Shidduch, and understandably, the water carrier looked for someone who was close to his own level to be a Chasan for her.
Baruch Hashem, he found a Bachur that he thought would be a good match for his daughter, and they happily got married. While the father-in-law knew very little, his new son-in-law knew even less.
Decided to Start Learning with His Son-in-Law
The water carrier decided that he would start learning with his son-in-law in the hopes of teaching him at least as much as he knew himself. They started with the basics. He taught him the Aleph-Bais, the Nekudos, and how to say Shema.
The son-in-law absorbed everything he was taught, and he had much excitement and a thirst for knowledge. He hadn’t been taught anything in his childhood, and once he was exposed to it, he felt like he needed to make up for all the lost time. After they finished the basics, they started learning the meaning of Shema.
By the Pasuk of V’Ahavta, the father-in-law explained to him that it is a Mitzvah, and we are commanded to love Hashem. Hearing this, the son-in-law responded disappointedly. He said, “That can’t be the commandment.” He explained, “It can’t be that we’re commanded to love Hashem. I think we should find a Rebbi to properly understand this.”
Confirms that the Water-Carrier’s Explanation is Correct
With that, the two headed to the Divrei Shmuel and asked their question. The father-in-law repeated the way he understood the Mitzvah, to make sure that he was understanding it correctly. After hearing the water carrier’s explanation, the Divrei Shmuel confirmed that he was, in fact, correct.
The Divrei Shmuel then turned to the son-in-law and asked him, “What’s bothering you with this explanation? Why can’t you accept that this is a Mitzvah?”
The son-in-law said, “How can it be that Hashem commanded me, plain little me, to love Him?! How can it be that the King of the entire universe would want me to love Him? It just can’t be!”
He then thought for a moment and said, “If Hashem is commanding this, it must be that there is a great love that Hashem has for us, and therefore, in return, Hashem commands us to love Him, as He loves us so much and wants our love back. The Mitzvah must definitely be that we in return should love Hashem!”
Hashem’s Great Love for Us
The Divrei Shmuel responded, “You’re right! That is the proper approach! Hashem loves us, and therefore, He desires that in return we should love Him. If Hashem did not have immense love for us, then there would be no way that He could desire for us to love Him. It is only out of Hashem’s great love for us that He wants us to love Him in return.”
When the son-in-law heard this, he began dancing uncontrollably. He started singing, “I love You because You love me!”
Seeing this, the Divrei Shmuel remarked that at that moment, the son-in-law reached the ultimate and exalted level of Ahavas Hashem. The Divrei Shmuel said to Rav Mottel Slonimer that true and proper Ahavas Hashem is love for Hashem that comes from the knowledge that Hashem loves us, and is seeking that we in return, express our love for Him!
Reprinted from the Parshas Shoftim 5783 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.
