Believe what Hashem said: “Love will cover up all sins.” Getting all the “avodah zarah” – all the other stuff – out of our lives is the first step in love. If we take the first step, the love will start to burn. Hashem will do His part and clean up our neshamah, and the layers of filth on our soul will fall away.
The second “kiss” is אנכי ה' אלקיך, “I am Hashem your G-d.” This is the actual closeness to Hashem. In my opinion, fulfilling “I am Hashem your G-d” means reciting a hundred blessings a day. What is this mitzvah of me’ah berachos? It means talking to Hashem. Not just in the three fixed prayers, but all through the day.
However, if a person just rattles off berachos without paying attention to what he is saying, that’s not much of a relationship. That’s not really thanking Hashem for all the beautiful things we have. Baruch Hashem we have eyes, we have a mind, we have children. We have so much from Hashem.
This Shabbos when I recited berachos here, there was so much food on the table, so many colors, so much grace, so much chesed. We have so many fruits and vegetables, plentiful food, drinks. I began to say הזן את העולם כולו בחן, בחסד – saying thanks to Hashem expresses love. Saying the words אשר יצר את האדם בחכמה – what a wonder it is that we are healthy and our bodies function properly. Hashem gives us health, He gives us children, you come home and your child jumps on you. Be happy, say thanks to Hashem.
ברוך אתה ה'. Say to Him פוקח עוורים, מלביש ערומים, מתיר אסורים – you can move your arms and legs!
In my opinion, we don’t have a choice in our generation, because our neshamah is covered with layers of soot even without doing a single aveirah. Every mitzvah we do has an effect on us. Why do we eat matzah? To be a tzaddik gamur? No, but it packs kedushah into our heart. And so it is with every mitzvah.
We might not find ourselves immediately aflame with love for Hashem, but we can at least try. Hashem will surely do His part, if we do ours, and will clean up our neshamah so we can feel love for Him.
And there is no better feeling in the world.
