Hilchos Teshuvah – Chapter 10: Serving Hashem Out of Love and the Highest Ideal of Divine Service
Halachah 1 — Serving Hashem Out of Fear
A person should not serve Hashem for the sake of reward or to avoid punishment. Service motivated by fear—whether of suffering in this world or loss of the World to Come—is an inferior level of service.
Such service is appropriate only for beginners, women, children, and the unlearned, who are educated this way until their understanding grows and they are able to serve Hashem out of love.
Halachah 2 — Serving Hashem Out of Love
One who serves Hashem out of love fulfills Torah and mitzvot solely because they are true, not for any benefit or fear. This is a very lofty level, achieved by few, and exemplified by Avraham Avinu, who served Hashem purely out of love.
The Torah commands this level of service: “You shall love the Lord your Hashem.” When one truly loves Hashem, mitzvah observance naturally flows from that love.
Halachah 3 — The Nature of Love of Hashem
Proper love of Hashem is intense, consuming, and constant, binding a person’s soul to Hashem. This love is likened to lovesickness—where one’s thoughts are never free of the beloved.
This is the meaning of loving Hashem “with all your heart and all your soul.” The entire Shir HaShirim is a parable describing this passionate love between man and Hashem.
Halachah 4 — Rejecting Service for Honor or Reward
One should not study Torah or perform mitzvot:
- to become wealthy,
- to gain honor or titles,
- or even to merit reward in the World to Come.
Rather, all service should be out of love alone. The Sages taught: “Desire His commandments”—not the reward that comes from them. True service is serving Hashem because He is the Master and worthy of service.
Halachah 5 — Lo Lishmah Leading to Lishmah
One who studies Torah for reward or protection from punishment is not serving Hashem for His sake. Nevertheless, the Sages ruled that one should always engage in Torah, even without pure intent, because from serving not for Hashem’s sake comes serving for Hashem’s sake.
Therefore:
- children,
- women,
- and the majority of people
are taught to serve Hashem out of fear and reward, until they gradually grow capable of serving out of love.
Halachah 6 — Knowledge as the Root of Love
True love of Hashem arises only through knowledge of Him. The greater a person’s understanding of Hashem, the greater his love.
Therefore, a person must dedicate himself to:
- studying wisdom,
- contemplating Hashem’s greatness,
- and deepening his understanding,
according to his intellectual capacity. This principle is explained further in Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah.
