(ד) שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהֹוָ֥ה ׀ אֶחָֽד׃ (ה) וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכׇל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃
(4) Hear, O Israel! יהוה is our God, יהוה alone. (5) You shall love your God יהוה with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Mishna Berachot 9:5
(5) The mishna articulates a general principle: One is obligated to recite a blessing for the bad that befalls him just as he recites a blessing for the good that befalls him, as it is stated: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). The mishna explains this verse as follows: “With all your heart” means with your two inclinations, with your good inclination and your evil inclination, both of which must be subjugated to the love of God. “With all your soul” means even if God takes your soul. “And with all your might” means with all your money, as money is referred to in the Bible as might. Alternatively, it may be explained that “with all your might” means with every measure that He metes out to you; whether it is good or troublesome, thank Him.
(5) The mishna articulates a general principle: One is obligated to recite a blessing for the bad that befalls him just as he recites a blessing for the good that befalls him, as it is stated: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). The mishna explains this verse as follows: “With all your heart” means with your two inclinations, with your good inclination and your evil inclination, both of which must be subjugated to the love of God. “With all your soul” means even if God takes your soul. “And with all your might” means with all your money, as money is referred to in the Bible as might. Alternatively, it may be explained that “with all your might” means with every measure that He metes out to you; whether it is good or troublesome, thank Him.
Berakhot 61b
The Talmud relates:
When the Romans took Rabbi Akiva out to be executed, it was time for the recitation of Shema.
And they were raking his flesh with iron combs, and he was reciting Shema, thereby accepting upon himself the yoke of Heaven.
His students said to him: Our teacher, even now, as you suffer, you recite Shema?
He said to them:
All my days I have been troubled by the verse: "With all your soul," meaning: Even if God takes your soul.
I said to myself: When will the opportunity be afforded me to fulfill this verse?
Now that it has been afforded me, shall I not fulfill it?
He prolonged his uttering of the word: "One," until his soul left his body as he uttered his final word: One.
A voice descended from heaven and said: Happy are you, Rabbi Akiva, that your soul left your body as you uttered: One.
The Talmud relates:
When the Romans took Rabbi Akiva out to be executed, it was time for the recitation of Shema.
And they were raking his flesh with iron combs, and he was reciting Shema, thereby accepting upon himself the yoke of Heaven.
His students said to him: Our teacher, even now, as you suffer, you recite Shema?
He said to them:
All my days I have been troubled by the verse: "With all your soul," meaning: Even if God takes your soul.
I said to myself: When will the opportunity be afforded me to fulfill this verse?
Now that it has been afforded me, shall I not fulfill it?
He prolonged his uttering of the word: "One," until his soul left his body as he uttered his final word: One.
A voice descended from heaven and said: Happy are you, Rabbi Akiva, that your soul left your body as you uttered: One.
Rabbi Adin Steinzaltz, Pebbles of Wisdom:
There is no essential difference between the love of God and the love of man. But since the love of God is not
described in numberless publications sold at corner kiosks, with illustrations and cartoons, the matter seems to be much more difficult.
True, there is an intrinsic difficulty. Love of God depends on one’s ability to be aware of Him, not in the sense of one’s
knowledge of what is written in this book or another, but in terms of personal consciousness. One can love God to the degree that one is able to be conscious of Him or to feel Him.
All that is necessary is to understand and to sincerely inquire into one’s knowledge of that which is worthy of love, and the natural impulse, the love of God, is awakened.
There is no essential difference between the love of God and the love of man. But since the love of God is not
described in numberless publications sold at corner kiosks, with illustrations and cartoons, the matter seems to be much more difficult.
True, there is an intrinsic difficulty. Love of God depends on one’s ability to be aware of Him, not in the sense of one’s
knowledge of what is written in this book or another, but in terms of personal consciousness. One can love God to the degree that one is able to be conscious of Him or to feel Him.
All that is necessary is to understand and to sincerely inquire into one’s knowledge of that which is worthy of love, and the natural impulse, the love of God, is awakened.
Rabbanit Lisa Schlaff, 2020, Yeshivat Maharat:
Interestingly, this is the first time the notion of loving God appears in the Torah. To the desert Jew who knew of God through the splitting of the sea, the thunder and lightning of matan Torah, mass plague, and bread falling from the sky, this was a shocking statement. “You must fear God” — yes. “You must be in awe of God” — certainly. “You must love God” would have been an incomprehensible command.
And so, as Bible professor Jeffrey Tigay suggests, the first paragraph of shema makes it clear that loving God is not an abstract emotion, but is grounded in the concrete observance of mitzvot....
Once we have internalized the mitzvot, and shared them with our children, we share them with the community. The project of loving God involves engaging as individuals, as members of a family, and as members of a community.
Returning to the Jews in the desert, the command to love God is no longer amorphous or jarring; it is grounded in very concrete action items. We express love to our children not only by saying “I love you” but by sitting on the floor and playing puzzles with them. We express love to our parents not only by saying “I love you” but by doing the food shopping when needed. And to God, we might not say “I love you” at all, but we fill our lives with daily ritual — everywhere and all the time — that is a powerful expression of love.
Interestingly, this is the first time the notion of loving God appears in the Torah. To the desert Jew who knew of God through the splitting of the sea, the thunder and lightning of matan Torah, mass plague, and bread falling from the sky, this was a shocking statement. “You must fear God” — yes. “You must be in awe of God” — certainly. “You must love God” would have been an incomprehensible command.
And so, as Bible professor Jeffrey Tigay suggests, the first paragraph of shema makes it clear that loving God is not an abstract emotion, but is grounded in the concrete observance of mitzvot....
Once we have internalized the mitzvot, and shared them with our children, we share them with the community. The project of loving God involves engaging as individuals, as members of a family, and as members of a community.
Returning to the Jews in the desert, the command to love God is no longer amorphous or jarring; it is grounded in very concrete action items. We express love to our children not only by saying “I love you” but by sitting on the floor and playing puzzles with them. We express love to our parents not only by saying “I love you” but by doing the food shopping when needed. And to God, we might not say “I love you” at all, but we fill our lives with daily ritual — everywhere and all the time — that is a powerful expression of love.