למען ילמד ליראהLearning to Fear

le-ma'an yilmad le-yir'ahIn Gamatria ↗

This fear is not born; it is learned, day after day.

Fear of sin is acquired by reflecting that the Shekhinah is present in every place, and that God watches over everything, great and small alike. Once a person grasps that wherever he is he stands before Him, fear comes by itself. 'Know what is above you,' says Avot: an eye that sees, an ear that hears, and all your deeds written in a book. But this lies far from the senses, so the mind pictures it only after long thought, and loses the picture easily. Distraction, forced or chosen, is fear's great spoiler. So the king must keep his Torah scroll with him and read it all his days, 'so that he may learn to fear' (Deuteronomy 17:19). Not 'so that he will fear': this fear does not come by nature. It is learned, through constant study.

Hover the image to look closer.Tap the image to look closer.