61. Acquiring Awe of God

We do not sit, speak or act the same when we are alone or with members of our families as we do when we are in the presence of important people. Therefore, if a person truly wants to perfect himself and get closer to God, it behooves him to remember that we are always in the presence of a King greater than any mortal. [III, 52] Specifically, God embraces us with the gift of the intellect, which is what connects us to Him. We perceive God through the light that He reveals to us, as per Psalms 36:9, "...it is through Your light that we see light." But connections run both ways; if we see Him through this light, He also sees us, as per Jeremiah 23:24, "Can anyone conceal himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?" (Clearly not!)

When spiritually-perfected people consider this matter, they become filled with awe of God, as well as humility, piety and sincere reverence. This causes their conduct to be extremely modest, even in moments of intimacy or when in complete privacy. To this end, the Sages said, "Who is truly modest? One whose conduct is the same in the dark of night as it is during the day." This is the source of the practice for Jewish men to cover their heads, a practice that was originally practiced by pious Sages. They also minimized their speech because of this awe, as per Koheles 5:2, "...God is in Heaven and you are on Earth, therefore let your words be few." (While covering the head has become a near-universal practice, minimizing one's speech unfortunately has not.)

This is the ultimate purpose of the mitzvos. By repeatedly carrying them out in all their details, we cultivate the traits that can help a person achieve spiritual perfection. One can acquire the proper awe and reverence for God, along with the understanding that He is always with us. God tells us this outright: "If you do not take care to perform all the words of this law that are written in this book, so that you may revere the glorious and awesome Name, Hashem your God" (Deuteronomy 28:58). The purpose of "all the words of this law" is "so that you may revere the glorious and awesome Name." The way we get there is that we "take care to perform" the mitzvos.

This is in contradistinction to the truths that the Torah commands us to internalize; these are designed to instill a love of God as described earlier (see, for example, section 58). The two different goals each have their own means of achieving them. Love of God is acquired by delving into the Torah's truths; awe of God is acquired by performing His mitzvos.

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