Love and Fear

(He will do this) if you listen to the voice of the Lord your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes written in the scroll of this law (and) if you return to (el) the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.    Deuteronomy 30:10

            The first century CE Aramaic translation of Yonatan ben Uziel understands the verse to refer to repentance which is motivated by fear of Heaven.

            Alshikh, among others, sees the verse as referring to repentance which is motivated by love of God.

            In the final chapter of his Laws of Repentance [10:1-2], Maimonides explains the superiority of Divine service motivated by love of God over that motivated by fear of Heaven:

Only one who serves God out love of has the attribute of wisdom and the quality of the Prophets, (and) this is the level commanded us by the Holy One, blessed be He, through Moses, as the verse states “You shall love the Lord your God.” [Deuteronomy 6:5]

            Netziv as well understands the verse to be dealing with repentance out of love, and he adds the insightful comment that repentance motivated by fear of Heaven expresses self-love, based upon fear of punishment, and not love of God.

            HaK’tav v’haKabbala notes that in verse two the Torah used a different wording (which is not evident in translation): “And you must return to (ad) the Lord your God,” and distinguishes between the two Hebrew words: “ad” implies approaching near, but not entering, while “el” means entering within. One who repents out of fear of Heaven cannot fully connect with God, since the impact of his former sins remaining a barrier between himself and God. However, concerning repentance motivated by love of God, our Sages taught:

Great is repentance, as one’s intentional sins are counted for him as merits.                        Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 86b

Thus, this type of repentance allows one to reach complete attachment to God.

            The verse’s choice of words is significant, teaching that repentance motivated by love of God truly allows the penitent to establish a personal and non-mediated connection with Him.