Ahavah Rabah 2: Bonding Powerfully Through Ahavah Rabah
This brachah of Ahavah Rabah follows the brachah of Yotzeir Or. The physical world that Hashem created is enjoyed by all human beings. However, Torah is the most precious gift, which only we the Jewish Nation enjoy. First, we must appreciate the goodness that Hashem created for all of mankind, and then we can properly appreciate our great fortune of being part of Hashem’s people and the treasured gift of His Torah. [HaRav Avigdor Miller, Tefilas Avigdor]
If one is uncertain whether or not he needs to recite Birkas HaTorah on a particular day, the brachah of Ahavah Rabah may be used to fulfill the mitzvah of Birkas HaTorah. This is true not simply because this brachah mentions limud Torah. It is true because the essence of this brachah is the great and everlasting love that Hashem has for us, and there is no greater expression of this love than Hashem having given His treasured Torah to us. [HaRav Chaim Friedlander in his sefer Rinas Chaim]
Many Rishonim and Acharonim state that the purpose of life is d’veikus with Hashem. The Targum Onkelos in Parshas Eikev (D’varim 10:20) defines the word “תדבק–sidbak” as “תקרב–tikrav (to come close to).” The mitzvah of d’veikus and the purpose of life are to “come close to Hashem.” What does that really mean? We know Hashem is not physical so we cannot come physically close.
If we look at the Sefer Chareidim, in mitzvah 10 of the heart, he defines d’veikus based on a combination of the Ramban and the Chovos HaL’vavos as “a powerful love (for Hashem) that does not depart from us for even a moment.” The Chayei Adam (in the very first two lines of his sefer, in klal 1) writes, “It is a mitzvas asei min haTorah for one to be davuk constantly with his mind on Hashem.” He quotes the pasuk and then asks how it is possible for us to “attach” ourselves to Hashem. He states, again, that this means that “we must attach our thoughts to Hashem, as it is written (T’hilim 16:8): “Shivisi Hashem l’negdi samid (I have set Hashem always before me).”
Integrating Mitzvos into Our Daily Lives
D’veikus (Shivisi) can be significantly enhanced by bringing Hashem into every aspect of our day by learning the mitzvos and being able to recognize and realize that we can be performing mitzvos even with otherwise mundane daily activities. When we are eating, sleeping, working, etc., we have the opportunity to transform those actions into mitzvos performed with awareness of Hashem (yir’ah), love of Hashem (ahavah), and joy of being able to serve Hashem. These mundane actions, which are now mitzvos, will then bring us closer to Hashem and become vehicles of d’veikus with Hashem.
The Rama began his Shulchan Aruch with the words “Shivisi Hashem l’negdi samid” and states that these words are a “klal gadol baTorah u’v’maalos ha’tzadikim.” The Vilna Gaon states, “v’zeh kol maalas ha’tzadikim.” Rav Chaim Friedlander explains that the Gaon is teaching us that a tzadik is only measured by his level of “Shivisi.” The extent to which we live quantitatively and qualitatively with the feeling of the presence of Hashem in our lives determines our level of being a tzadik.
The Ramchal explains (in Derech Hashem) that while tefilah and all mitzvos achieve d’veikus with Hashem, the absolute greatest form of d’veikus is learning Torah. Each and every mitzvah brings us closer to Hashem. But learning Torah is the mitzvah that brings us closest to Hashem.
Given that our greatest d’veikus with Hashem is achieved through Torah, we can now understand why a brachah whose essence is the great and everlasting love between Hashem and us, the Jewish people, is expressed specifically through Torah. [Rinas Chaim]