Ahavah Rabah 3: Selfless Ahavah

אהבה רבה אהבתנו...חמלה גדולה ויתרה חמלת עלינו

With an abundant love have You loved us…with exceedingly great compassion have You pitied us

“Ahavah rabah ahavtanu” refers to the days of the Avos and the time of Y’tzias Mitzrayim.

“Chemlah g’dolah viy’seirah” refers to the period after the Sin of the Eigel HaZahav.

The Vilna Gaon explains that after Hashem forgave us for the Sin of the Eigel, Hashem gave us the Luchos and commanded us to make a Mishkan so that He could “dwell” among us.  These were benefits we did not previously enjoy.  “G’dolah viy’seirah” means that Hashem favored us with a great and extraordinary compassion.

When one person wrongs another badly, and the person who was hurt is able to forgive the one who sinned against him, that is considered a great act.  Many times, the forgiveness does not restore the relationship to what it was.  For example, the parties may be respectful and cordial, but nevertheless the injured party will not invite the offender for a Shabbos s’udah.

If the injured party extends himself to an even greater extent and makes an effort to restore the relationship to the level that it was prior to the hurt, that is extraordinary.  Hashem goes even beyond that.  He not only restored our relationship to what it was prior to the Sin of the Eigel, but after we did t’shuvah, He showed us even greater and extraordinary love and compassion than before we had sinned.

Integrating Mitzvos into Our Daily Lives

We begin with the first two mitzvos from the Sefer Chareidim.  He divides the mitzvos by body part and begins with the heart.  The first two are Emunah and Yichud Hashem.

On a most basic level, emunah is believing that there is a G-d Who brought all that exists into existence from nothingness and that He oversees all that exists.  This is hashgachah pratis – divine providence.

Yichud Hashem is belief that this G-d Who brought all into existence is One, without any partners.  All that is sweet in our lives and all that is bitter is from One Source.  All events, opportunities, obstacles, disappointments, and challenges come from One Source.  That One Source – Hashem – wants us to succeed in reaching “sh’leimus” (our full and complete potential), so that we can enjoy “d’veikus” (closeness to Hashem in mind and heart) in this world, and even more so for eternity in the next world.  Wanting us to succeed and knowing precisely what we need, minute by minute, day by day, to reach our ultimate goal of d’veikus through sh’leimus, He designed a unique training program specifically for us to succeed to the utmost.

Our frustrations and challenges never come from the boss, the client, the neighbor, the spouse, the children, the traffic, the weather, etc.  They all come from Hashem through these messengers designed just for us, to promote our growth in ways that would not have been possible without them.

When we are tested, we have the opportunity to fulfill many mitzvos.  For now, we focus on emunah, bitachon, and yichud Hashem.  (We will, b’ezras Hashem, cover the difference between emunah and bitachon at a later date.)

Allow us to propose what some have found to be a very powerful phrase: “ONE SOURCE, ONE FORCE.”  The more we can internalize this truth and live it, the more we will live happier, less stressful, more serene, and fulfilling lives in this world, and receive reward and bliss in the next world that is beyond anything we can imagine.

If we train ourselves, we will observe throughout our day multiple opportunities to pause and think or verbalize “ONE SOURCE, ONE FORCE” and fulfill these three mitzvos and more.

Make no mistake: This requires a lifetime of asking Hashem to help us, as well as constant toil and effort on our part.  Undoubtedly, we will forget, fail, and fall.  But considering the enormous payoff in both worlds, common sense demands that we choose to persevere with our tefilos and efforts, and, b’ezras Hashem, we will reap the sweet rewards in both worlds.