Question: We have an obligation to love Hashem and to love our fellow Jews. Whom do we have to love more, G-d or man?
ANSWER: You have to love Hakadosh Baruch Hu b’chol livavcha, with all your heart so that leaves no space for any competition. Only that Hakodosh Boruch Hu says that you have to obey Him and He says to love your fellow Jews. Part of loving Hashem with all your heart is loving your fellow Jew.
If a person, however, forgets about Hashem and he thinks he’ll concentrate with all his heart on loving his fellow man, that man is wasting his life. And so, it’s a great thing to love your fellow man but that’s only if you do it in the service of Hashem.
You know, we are told that the Chofetz Chaim was a very kindly man. He went out of his way to help people. But he wasn’t exceptional in inviting people to his home. He used to help people find places to stay. He used to pay money to support them when they were visiting his town. He paid for their lodging, for their food. But to take people into his home, he didn’t do that if someone else could do it – he wasn’t so generous. And somebody explained that this was because he didn’t want to divide his loyalties to Hashem. He couldn’t be a crony, he couldn’t sit around all evening talking with his guests. He wanted to spend his time studying the Torah or to be in solitude with Hakodosh Boruch Hu.
A man who is in love with Hashem can’t share his time freely with other people. And so, although the Chofetz Chaim’s heart was in gemilas chassadim. He did all the good deeds that you can imagine. But he did it because of ahavas Hashem. And so, he didn’t spend much time with other people; if he could avoid being a crony and hanging around together with people, that’s what he did. Because to do otherwise detracted from his loyalty, his allegiance and his clinging to Hashem. And therefore, there’s no question about the answer:
You have to love Hashem with all your heart means that there’s no room for anything else. Kol levavacha means with all your heart, with no divided loyalties.
Reprinted from the Kedoshim 5784 email of Toras Avigdor, based on the teachings of Rav Avigdor Miller, zt”l. Adapted from Tape #555 (June 1985).
