[Avodah] Yir'ass HaShem (Was Re: Yeshivishe Peyos)

[Zvi Lampel]

R' Micha Berger wrote: 
> I am not sure I agree with this assumption that ahavah is 
> more associated with an assei, and yir'ah with a lav. For 
> example, I'm more cautious with my wife's feelings than 
> with someone I care less about. Is that ahavah or yir'ah? 

R' Akiva Miller wrote:

>It seems generally accepted that to translate yir'ah as "fear" is 
simply wrong. Many prefer to translate it as "awe", but my feeling is 
that I don't use that word often enough to have a good handle on what 
it means. Some have suggested "respect", which I like. 

But for the current discussion, I'd like to quote someone (sorry I've 
forgotten who) who said that "Yir'as HaShem" is not fear of HaShem 
Himself, but that it refers to a fear of *hurting His feelings* 
(kavyachol). 

According to this idea, I would think that yir'ah is most certainly 
associated with lavin. Yirah is my fear of stepping over the line and 
doing something that would offend Him.<

============

Rav Avigdor Miller Zt"l advocated that "yir'eh," from the same shoresh that denotes "seeing," means "awareness," so that "yir'ass HaShem" is the intense awareness of Hashem's presence. This works very well, and would influence one to fulfill what he knows he ought to do, yet perhaps be more utilized when someone is tempted to do something he wouldn't if he truly felt that "the King is watching."

Zvi Lampel
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