7. To Love and Revere God

Yesodei HaTorah 2:1

The Torah requires us to love and revere God, as per Deuteronomy 6:5 – “You shall love Hashem, your God" – and Deuteronomy 6:13 – "Revere Hashem, your God."

Yesodei HaTorah 2:2

How do we reach the state of loving and revering God? When we contemplate God’s amazing deeds and the wonderful things He has created, causing us to appreciate His infinite wisdom, which is far beyond anything within our experience, then we will immediately love, praise and extol Him. We will be overcome with a powerful desire to know Him, as per Psalms 42:3, “My soul thirsts for God, the living God."

When one continues to contemplate these things, he will recoil in awe and reverence. This comes from the realization of how small and insignificant we truly are, standing with scant wisdom before the One Who has perfect knowledge. This is what King David said in Psalms 8:4-5, "When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers...” it makes one wonder, “what is man that You are mindful of him?”

Based on these ideas, the Rambam sets out to explain important principles of God’s deeds so that a person might develop love for Him. Regarding this, the Sages said, “In this way, you will recognize the One Who spoke and brought the world into existence."