Lonely Awareness
The question is, what does solitude have to do with Awareness of Hashem? Let him walk in Yerushalayim among the nezirim and tzaddikim. Or better yet let him stay in the beis medrash among his chaveirim, talmidei chachomim, and learn Mesillas Yesharim.
So Rashi there makes an important statement. Everything in Rashi is important but this statement is something that we need for our subject.
Rashi tells us that the company of people is a contradiction to yiras Hashem. You hear that? Company, friends, associates, it causes you to forget about Hashem. solitude, on the other hand, enables a person – of course the right kind of person, if he knows what he wants to accomplish – to gain an awareness of Hashem, what we call yiras Hashem. ֹוּ„ַב¿ל ֹו ֹ̇יו¿הƒּב הָימ≈‡ יוָלָﬠ לּחוָּ ̇∆ׁ ̆ םָ„ָ‡ י≈נ¿ּבƒמ ֹילוƒּ„¿בַה¿ל – by means of separating from people and being alone, that allows for yirah to come upon a person (ibid.)
Now that needs an explanation. What’s the connection? Why is company a contradiction to yiras Hashem?
