When you're in love, you don't complain...

“A person [i.e., a Jew] does not mind performing a Mitzvah, whether personally or with his money” (Pesachim 4b).

From time to time I’ve heard the complaint, “Oy, Shabbos is coming soon, we have to clean and cook,” and especially, “Pesach is coming, we’ll be in the kitchen for a week.”

Although this language is in a way understandable, I find it distressing. Mitzvos, even when they are physically difficult, should not be regarded as a burden. A Jew was created in order to serveHashem, and so he should be happy at the opportunity to perform aMitzvah, even if it involves physical effort and inconvenience, and even financial expense.

But how does one come to this level? The truth is that this is not a feeling one needs to create, for a Jew feels this way by nature, as quoted above. This is because every Jew possesses a natural feeling of love for Hashem (see Tanya chs. 18-19, 25). However, due to various negative experiences and influences, he may lose this feeling on the conscious level, thus losing touch with his true inner self. Love is then lacking in his relationship with Hashem, and in order for it to be revealed, the Jew needs to work on himself.

But why is love of Hashem so vital? It cannot be denied that fear of rebelling against Hashem is enough to inspire a person to perform Torah and Mitzvos.

The answer is that although fear of Hashem is a necessary starting point, when we serve Hashem out of fear alone, we ultimately come to see it as a burden, leading to complaints such as those listed above.

So how can one come to serve Hashem out of deep love, in a way that he is inspired to perform Hashem’s Mitzvos unbegrudgingly? This can only come through knowledge, as we can understand from our relationships with people. For instance, although we don’t know the policeman, we obey him out of fear of the repercussions. This fear is real and effective. In contrast, genuine love comes through knowing and appreciating the other person on a personal level.

How can one come to know Hashem, the Object of this love? By studying sources that describe Hashem’s greatness (which have been revealed in our generation in the teachings of Chassidus) and connecting to Hashem in a personal way through prayer, which involves reflecting on all of Hashem’s kindness to the person. Slowly but surely, this will lead the person to serve Hashem out of love. ThenMitzvos will be regarded not as a burden, but only as a privilege and opportunity.

The same principle holds true concerning a chossid’s relationship with the Rebbe.

Some people have committed to be chassidim, but sadly their relationship is primarily based on fear, not love. They don’t want to disobey the Rebbe’s directives because they believe that that would be wrong, and/or because they know of stories of others who did so and did not prosper. However, they lack a significant appreciation of what a Rebbe is, and a sense of a personal bond with him.

This feeling of love will not come on its own. It needs to be actively developed. One can accomplish this by learning about the meaning of the concept of a Rebbe (e.g., on this blog), his relationship withchassidim, and reminding oneself of all the guidance and blessings that the Rebbe has showered upon oneself personally.