TheYeshiva.net - Rabbi YY Jacobson

Basics of Emunah #36: Does Fear of G-d Create Anxiety?

Don’t Fear Punishment; Fear the Ruin of a Splendid Relationship

1 hr 3 min

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Class Summary:

This weekly women's class was presented on Tuesday, Parshas Ki Seitzei, 9 Elul, 5781, August 17, 2021, live from Rabbi YY Jacobson's home in Monsey, NY.

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P
pinchas -3 years ago
כבוד הרב יוסף יצחק שליט"א שמעתי את השיעור היום יום שלישי ט באלול ה17 לאוגוסט .

מאוד נהנתי מהשיעור החשוב אני רק רוצה לומר לך כבוד הרב כמה שאני ינסה לחזור על הדברים אף פעם זה לא יוצא לי ברור כמו שהרב מעביר אני ממש מודה להשם כל יום שהוא זיכה אותי ובכלל את כולם לשמוע שיעור מהרב אני רוצה לברך את הרב בכתיבה וחתימה טובה שנה טובה ומתוקה נחת מכל יוצאי חלציכם ותזכו להגדיל תורה ולהאדירה
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SG
Sarah Goldberg -3 years ago
No pain, no gain
No pain, no baby.

No pain, no gold medal.

After the Chait Aitz Hadaas, Hashem decreed that man would earn his bread only by the sweat of his brow (painful) and women would bear children only by pain.

The pain is part of the system.

No pain means "bread of shame".

R. Akiva longed for the pain of giving up his life Al Kiddush Hashem.
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S
Sara -3 years ago
Fear?
Maybe say instead a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder. So it's not fear alone
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TT
Tzivia Tyler -3 years ago
I AM AFRAID MY GRANDSON, RAISED SECULARLY WILL MARRY A NON JEWISH WOMAN WHO HE IS DATING. MUST I NOT EXPRESS MY FEAR B/C IT WILL CAUSE BROYGUS WITH HIM AND HIS PARENTS AND ME?
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SM
Sara Metzger -3 years ago
What you/the Maggid are describing
Everyone should feel that, the awe and love. What a blessing!!
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Anonymous -3 years ago
I am reminded of a phenomenon seen in many workplaces. How many employees go to work with a mindset and goal of not getting in trouble from the boss, this becomes their primary focus with actually doing their job becoming secondary. If they would realize they have the ability to be productive and do their job well there is really no need to fear punishment. They should be more bothered by whether or not they are accomplishing something, than whether or not they'll be punished.
(This is not generalized to the entire profession) Also like a doctor who practices in fear of getting sued, they're more afraid of getting in trouble than they are of not helping the patient heal.
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PS
pinhas shaool -3 years ago
Thank you rabbi I missed you

Pinchas shaool
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SG
Sarah Goldberg -3 years ago
The wider the perspective, the deeper the understanding
People have very narrow perspectives because of our physical bodies. Pain, punishment and any seemingly negative impact is to be avoided, to be "feared". No one likes the dentist's drill.

But of course it is trite to say that Hashem has the widest of all perspectives. He knows that what appears to the person as pain, punishment or a negative impact actually hides a deeper as yet unrevealed good. He knows that what appears to us as negative in the short run to a person with a narrow perspective will be shown to be a positive in the long run when the wider perspective becomes revealed.

So, whereas with our narrow short term perspective we fear pain and punishment, Hashem, with his incomparable unlimited wide long term perspective, Hashem has, of course no fear of pain but He does fear damage to or loss of His relationship with his (as we recall in Elul) beloved.
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SG
Sarah Goldberg -3 years ago
Fear of punishment versus fear of loss
It was once explained that whereas many explain "yiras/fear of Hashem" in a fire and brimstone manner, i.e. fear of punishment; the chassidic explanation says that fear means fear of losing the relationship. This was explained regarding a yid's fear of losing his connection to Hashem.

The Maggid's explanation makes this explanation bilateral, that is a two-way mirrored type of fear. Not only should we be fearful of harming or losing our relationship with Hashem, so too, Hashem is "fearful" of losing His relationship with yidden.

He chose us as Abraham's physical and spiritual descendants, He put a lot into us, He gave us His Torah, He tolerated many of our misdeeds, etc. He has developed a long lasting relationship and "fears" anything negative happening to that relationship.
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Anonymous -3 years ago
Waiting eagerly from Yerushalayim

The Kriegers
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