The Mitzvah to Love G-d         
                     by Gershon Ben Shabtai
                        December 1, 1991

       One need not be an ignoramus to believe in lies.  I remember reading about an
experiment in college psychology which dramatically proved this point.  An entire class of
college students was used to test the affect of peer pressure on one unsuspecting student.  The
teacher held up two sticks; one was long and the other was short.  He asked the students, one
at a time, to tell him which one was long and which one was short.  The students, all except
one, were primed to lie.  The subject of the test, one lone student, listened as each of his peers
told the teacher that the long stick was the shorter of the two.  When his turn came, the test
student "agreed" with his colleagues that the long stick was short and that the short stick was
long.
       This is a very dramatic example of how intelligent people, even without a moral or
political dilemma, can be made to accept an outright lie as truth.  The only factor here which
influenced the test student was his fear of being different from all the other students.  The need
to conform, to be like everyone else, is a very human one.  We all yearn to be accepted and
liked by others.  Yet it is this very need which presents Jews with our greatest threat.
       Our Father, Abraham, was raised in a society in which everyone worshiped idols. 
His own father was an idol salesman.  Yet Abraham set the prime example for the Jewish
people by opposing the entire world and openly declaring that idol worship was foolish and
false, and that there is only One G-d who created the heavens and the earth.  Such a stand
placed his very life in danger, yet he refused to be silent, much less to agree to a lie.
       Caleb ben Yephuna had a similar test when he, together with leaders from all of the
other tribes of Israel, were called upon to assess the ability of Am Yisrael to enter the land and
overcome its inhabitants.  One after one the princes of the other tribes bewailed the great
strength of the giants, and how they appeared in their own eyes as grasshoppers.  Then, at the
risk of being stoned to death, Caleb stood before the people and declared that we can easily
overcome the obstacles and go up to our Promised Land because our G-d is with us!
       Today we are in great need of an Abraham and a Caleb.  Abraham was afraid when
he stood up to the idol worshipers.  Caleb was afraid when he defied his fellow Jewish leaders
to declare the Truth as embodied in pure faith in the Living G-d of Israel.  Yet they overcame
their fear because of their love of G-d.  Love is the only emotion that can overcome fear. 
These Jewish Giants had a pure and unconditional love for G-d.  This love was greater even
than their fear of death and it enabled them to rise to great heights.
       As David said to Goliath, "You come to me with a sword and a spear, but I come
to you in the name of the Living G-d of Israel."  His unconditional love of G-d drove him to
face a formidable foe who dared to desecrate G-d. 
       The command to love G-d, as declared three times a day by Jews all over the world
in the "Shma", is the key to Jewish survival.  It is our strongest tool to overcome any and all
obstacles the world can place before us.  It is the reason why we could not be destroyed even
by the sophisticated death machine of the Nazis. 
       Our martyred heros of the holocaust faced the gas chambers with the shout of
"Shma Yisrael" on their lips, proving that their love of G-d was greater than their fear of
death, and guaranteeing the future of Am Yisrael despite the apparent hopelessness of the
moment.
       In view of both ancient and recent historical examples of the power of our love for
our G-d to overcome the most impossible situations imaginable, how is it that we, the
generation that has witnessed the beginning the fulfillment of G-d's Promise to Abraham to
return us to our homeland, can now permit our fear of losing American dollars to overpower
our love for Him?
       Breathes there a Jew who is prepared to declare the inviolability of G-d's
commandment to settle the Land and never to sell it, much less give it away to goyim?  Is
there a Jew today who is willing to publicly announce the fact that Palestine and Jordan are
fictions which have no legitimate basis?  Where is the Jewish leader who will shout to the
world, "You want Peace?  You want a conference?  Then come to Jerusalem and tell us what
tribute you are prepared to pay to the Jewish state in return for peace."
       How dare we so much as imply a willingness to consider the possibility of giving up
even one inch of holy Jewish soil?  We are a tiny country and we have only one weapon which
will guarantee our victory over our overwhelming enemies.  That weapon is our unconditional
love for our G-d as expressed by our willingness to take all risks in order to obey His
commandments.  
       When Bush advocates "Territories for Peace" and demands that Israel give away
Jewish Land, we must immediately and forthrightly tell him that we are unable to do so.  The
King of the Universe has commanded us never to give up our Land.  So what can we do?   We
simply have no choice.   
       We can go to Washington, Madrid, Cairo, Damascus or even Disneyland.  But
wherever we go we must always show our love for our G-d by standing with His Truth, even
if the whole world praises the virtue of their lies.  Our willingness to sacrifice even life itself in
order to express our love for our G-d is the greatest power the Jew possesses.  This is our
legacy from our Father Abraham and all of our great Jewish leaders throughout the centuries. 
It was the central lesson taught to us by Rabbi Meir Kahane, z"l, hy"d, every day of his life.  If
we live up to that legacy we will bring a glorious redemption.  If we refuse and try to please
our enemies out of fear of them and in the vain hope that they will love us, we will only reap
tragedy.