Ahavah Rabah 19: Loving All of His Children…All of the Time
Before we proceed to the conclusion of our brachah, we would like to share one powerful thought from the Vilna Gaon. He quoted the Gemara in Chulin 91b, which states that klal Yisrael is more beloved to Hashem than the mal’achei ha’shareis, the heavenly angels. The Gaon states that when we say “v’keiravtanu l’Shimcha ha’gadol,” this is what we are saying: Hashem has brought us closer to Him than the mal’achim are.
The conclusion of this brachah is in the present tense. Hashem is choosing us constantly, even though we may not deserve to be His nation right now. Not only is He choosing us despite our unworthiness, but He chooses us with love even while we are unworthy.
Each morning, we recite the Birchos HaTorah, which contain the phrase, “that He selected us from all the nations.” Imagine if the wisest, most powerful, kindest, most compassionate, most generous, and wealthiest person in the world chose you as his adopted son or daughter. He treats you and considers you like an only child. He tells you that he will take care of you and your descendants for eternity, and He is involved in every aspect of your life. He gives you a special phone number, which only you have, and he tells you that you can call him 24/7.
The Anshei K’neses HaG’dolah, who formulated the Birchos HaTorah and our brachah with prophecy, wanted us to remember each and every day of our lives that today Hashem is choosing us with love. He loves us eternally (“Ahavas Olam”) and abundantly (“Ahavah Rabah”). Our brachah begins and ends with a proclamation of Hashem’s great love for us.
Integrating Mitzvos into Our Daily Lives
In one of the most inspiring s’farim that this writer has ever picked up (Rav Avigdor Miller: His Life and His Revolution, by HaRav Yaakov Y. Hamburger), Rav Hamburger writes the following:
“Rabbi Miller approached the pursuit of loving Hashem from every angle. He taught that a tremendous resource for acquiring a love for Hashem was contemplating the great love Hashem has for us. The more one feels the great love of Hashem toward him, the more one will reciprocate with feelings of love. Hashem has limitless love for us, both as a nation and as individuals. This was among the most passionate and all-encompassing themes Rabbi Miller discussed.
“He often pointed out that Tanach uses the phrase “Elokei Yisrael, the G-d of the Jews” no less than 165 times, and many times it states openly that Hashem loves us. In fact, his entire approach to Tanach and all of Jewish history was predicated on this one theme, the great love Hashem has for His beloved children, the progeny of the Avos. When internalizing this, a well-spring of love of Hashem would open up within him.
“His relationship with Hashem was indeed his greatest pleasure. It elicited from him unbridled enthusiasm and excitement.”
May we, too, merit to take pleasure in – and to feel – Hashem’s great love for us as a nation and as individuals, and may we feel and display love for all of His children as well.