Mevakesh Lev Talks About Heart

"Of all the music that reached farthest into heaven, it is the beating of a loving heart."

Henry Ward Beecher

Love Hashem, we proclaim a number of times a day, with ALL of your heart. One must garner all of his/her emotion to feel the deepest, most profound love of Hashem. The Navi says "Ahavti eschem omar Hashem" - Hashem loves us, we should reciprocate.

Love people. It is not enough to perform acts of chessed, one must also feel LOVE in ones heart for all. Lo tisna es achicha bilvavecha - Don't hate your brother in your heart. The heart is for love - not for hatred. "Viahavta lirayacha kamocha ani Hashem" - Love your neighbor as yourself - I am Hashem. Just as I Hashem loves YOU unconditionally with no strings attached, so too you should love your friend. This requires an investment of time and energy - but it is REWARDING!

Love Torah. It is not enough to learn Torah. One must LOVE Torah. "Mah ahavti Torasecha, kol hayom he sichasi" - I love your Torah so much, I talk about it all day. Did Dovid Hamelech have nothing else about which to talk?! Oh he did! But he still loved talking about Torah all day. It is sooo interesting, stimulating and keeps me away from the bad stuff [like when people start conversations with me - So, what do think about the latest scandal with ... I would much prefer to be asked "Voos lernsto?" - What are you learning these days? Tell me a chiddush!]. But most importantly - it is dvar Hashem. Just as we love Hashem, we love the expression of His Being as explicated in the Holy Torah.

We beseech Hashem "Psash lebee bisorasecha" - Open my HEART to your Torah. The Rebbe Shlita often points out that we DON'T learn Torah with our hearts but with our minds. Why "heart"? The answer is that ultimately the Torah must penetrate the depths of our hearts. "Vihayu hadvarim ho'aile asher anochi mitzavicha hayom al LEVAVECHA" - The Torah must be on our hearts. The Heilige Kotzker Rebbe asked why it doesn't say "bilvavecha" - In your heart, why "on" your heart? He answers that sometimes the heart is sealed. At those times we must place the Torah on top of our hearts and at some point we will be inspired and our hearts will open up and the Torah will fall in.

So we have a three pronged love: For Hashem, all people and the Torah. All in the heart, on the deepest emotional level.

May we merit to open our hearts with the purest, highest, holiest love for all that is Godly.

Love and Blessings - From The Heart:)!!