ואהבת את ד' אלקיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאדך
“You shall love Hashem your G-d, with all your heart, all your soul and all your money” (Devorim 6:5)
The first paragraph of Shema commands us to love Hashem with all our hearts. This is difficult to understand. How can Hashem require a person to love Him, as emotions must be genuine and sincere, and mandated love is hardly an ideal level to strive for?
Rav Akiva Eiger suggests that feelings of love toward Hashem should come naturally. It is human nature to instinctively love a person who we feel loves Shlomo HaMelech writes in Mishlei (27:19): כמים הפנים לפנים כן לב האדם לאדם – “Just as water reflects the face of the person looking into it, so too does the human heart mirror the emotions that it receives from others”.
We need merely focus on contemplating and internalizing the unfathomable love that Hashem feels for every Jew, and reciprocal feelings of love will automatically well up in our hearts. It is for this reason that we conclude the blessing that immediately precedes the morning recitation of Shema with the words: באהבה ישראל בעמו הבוחר – “Who chooses His people Yisroel with love” – and the evening recitation with the words: אוהב עמו ישראל – “Who loves His people Yisroel”. As we focus on these words and remind ourselves of the tremendous love that Hashem feels for us, we cannot help but experience reciprocal feelings of love, which will allow us to recite Shema with the proper emotions and concentration. (R’ Ozer Alport)
