בס"ד

Loving G-d in Jewish Thought

A Classical Jewish Perspective for Bnei Noach

One of the most well-known verses in the Torah states:

“You shall love the Lord your G-d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.”
(Deuteronomy 6:5)

At first glance, this command appears simple. Yet Jewish tradition asks a profound question:

What does it actually mean to love G-d?

Classical Jewish sources—from רש"י ו הרמב"ם אֶל Duties of the Heart (Chovot HaLevavot) and Chassidic teachings—offer a remarkably systematic answer.

Love Begins with Understanding

Maimonides asks an obvious question:

Can someone really be commanded to feel love?

His answer is that the commandment is not directed at the emotion itself, but at the process that produces it.

ב משנה תורה (Laws of the Foundations of the Torah 2:2), Rambam explains that a person develops love for God by contemplating His creation, His wisdom, and His commandments. As one reflects on the complexity and beauty of the universe, love naturally follows.

Likewise, in ספר המצוות (Positive Commandment 3), Rambam explains that this contemplation is itself the fulfillment of the commandment.

Abraham: The First Teacher

Rambam adds another fascinating insight.

Loving G-d is not only personal; it also means helping others discover Him.

He points to Abraham, who inspired people to recognize and love the Creator. As the ספרי comments on Deuteronomy 6:5:

“Cause Him to be loved by His creatures.”

Love of God therefore includes sharing knowledge of G-d with others.

Is This Commandment for Bnei Noach?

Here Jewish authorities differ.

לְפִי רמב"ן, cited by the Ran, and also according to the Minchat Chinuch (Mitzvah 418), Bnei Noach are not legally obligated to fulfill the commandment of loving G-d in the same way that Israel is.

However, this does לֹא mean that a non-Jew should not love God.

On the contrary.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe repeatedly emphasized that Bnei Noach should contemplate G-d’s greatness, develop faith in Him, and pray to Him (Likkutei Sichot, vol. 25; 20 Av 1985). Although the Rebbe does not explicitly describe this as the mitzvah of loving G-d, these practices naturally cultivate love.

Other contemporary works, such as הקוד האלוהי, present a somewhat broader understanding and encourage Bnei Noach to actively develop both love and awe of G-d.

How Do We Learn to Love G-d?

One of Judaism’s greatest ethical classics, Duties of the Heart (Chovot HaLevavot), devotes an entire section—the Gate of Contemplation—to this question.

It encourages us to meditate on:

The purpose is not scientific curiosity alone.

Contemplation transforms intellectual belief into heartfelt appreciation.

What Does Love of G-d Feel Like?

Rambam gives an extraordinary description in חוקי תשובה (10:1–3).

Serving G-d out of fear of punishment or hope for reward is not the highest level.

The highest service is to do what is true because it is true.

The person who truly loves G-d becomes completely absorbed in that love.

Rambam compares this state to someone deeply in love, whose thoughts continually return to the beloved throughout the day.

He then explains that Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) is not merely romantic poetry, but an extended metaphor describing this love between G-d and His people.

Where Is This Love Experienced?

A beautiful Chassidic teaching recorded in Hayom Yom (20 Av) explains that love of G-d is not merely an intellectual concept.

Just as a person physically feels the weight of tefillin, genuine love of G-d should eventually become something the heart itself experiences.

The heart becomes alive with joy, energy, and closeness to G-d.

Three Levels of Loving G-d

Chassidic teachings describe three progressively deeper forms of love, corresponding to the verse in Deuteronomy.

With All Your Heart

This begins with contemplating how G-d gives life to every aspect of creation.

Recognizing G-d’s presence throughout the world awakens both intellect and emotion.

Even the ordinary experiences of daily life become opportunities to appreciate the Creator.

This level is accessible to both Jews and Bnei Noach.

With All Your Soul

The next level moves beyond creation itself.

Instead of focusing on how God fills the universe, one reflects on how infinitely greater God is than the universe.

Creation itself becomes secondary compared to its Creator.

This contemplation produces a profound longing to be close to G-d.

Again, the intellectual aspect of this level is accessible to all people, although some Chassidic explanations apply its deepest spiritual dimensions specifically to the Jewish soul.

With All Your Might

The highest level speaks about G-d’s very Essence, beyond both creation and transcendence.

Here love no longer arises primarily from human contemplation.

Instead, the person becomes completely aligned with G-d’s will, and it’s available only for Jews, since it comes from the bond the Jewish soul has with G-d.

In Chassidic thought, this represents the deepest possible bond between the soul and G-d. 

מַסְקָנָה

Jewish tradition teaches that love of G-d is far more than an emotion.

It is cultivated through study, contemplation, prayer, and reflection on creation.

For Jews, this love is an explicit mitzvah.

For Bnei Noach, classical authorities differ regarding whether it is a formal obligation. Yet all agree that contemplating G-d’s greatness, developing faith, and drawing closer to Him is a worthy and transformative path.

Ultimately, love of G-d is not something that appears overnight.

It grows through understanding.

And as understanding deepens, so does love.

מאת הרב טוביה סרבר

Suggested Sources for Further Study

קובץ PDF

מקורות

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