Visualizing What It Means to Fear God
This week’s Torah portion (Shoftim) includes a curious command to the person who is going to be King of the Israelites.
The King has to write his own Bible scroll in order that he learn to fear G-d — not learn to love G-d but fear Him instead.
I find this to be a peculiar command because my instinct tells me that we are all technically supposed to look to the Bible to learn how to love G-d as well as fear him, and yet the King is just supposed to focus on what seems to be a negative aspect of his relationship with G-d.
I want to use this peculiarity as a jumping off point for a larger discussion on Fear and Love of G-d and see if through this article I can share a metaphor that might put a different perspective on how the Rabbis viewed the current Hebrew month of Elul and the holidays which follow it.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/visualizing-what-it-means-to-fear-god/
AUG 22, 2017