The love and close relationship between man and Hashem is intimately tied to awe. One cannot exist without the other. We mention this during Shacharis when we say "Unite our hearts to love and have awe for Your Name." In one of the verses of the Shema we say, "That I am commanding you today, to love Hashem your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul." The love is meant to lead to serving with heart and soul and not to stray one iota from the will of Hashem. This theme is repeated elsewhere in the Torah as well. This is why immediately following the giving of the Torah Hashem added strict words to the soft spoken words. The language of love alone can lead to losing any sense of awe.
Rebbe Nachman taught two approaches to Hisbodidus. On the one hand he refers to it as words of appeasement and closeness, on the other hand he says that each person needs to have some time every day when his heart is broken before Hashem. He needs to spend time each day discussing with Hashem all those areas in which his actions are not up to par. The rest of the day he should feel only joy.
Not everyone can find the peace of mind daily to engage in this introspection and to regret those things that need regretting. The day passes by and it could be that a person cannot find one time in his entire life to do so. It is therefore necessary to find the self-control to devote time to contemplate how one is spending his days and to determine if he is doing so in a worthwhile manner.
How do we resolve these seemingly contradictory aims? On the one hand it is an opportunity to develop a lovingly intimate relationship, on the other a time for regret and awe.
Rebbe Nachman taught two approaches to Hisbodidus. On the one hand he refers to it as words of appeasement and closeness, on the other hand he says that each person needs to have some time every day when his heart is broken before Hashem. He needs to spend time each day discussing with Hashem all those areas in which his actions are not up to par. The rest of the day he should feel only joy.
Not everyone can find the peace of mind daily to engage in this introspection and to regret those things that need regretting. The day passes by and it could be that a person cannot find one time in his entire life to do so. It is therefore necessary to find the self-control to devote time to contemplate how one is spending his days and to determine if he is doing so in a worthwhile manner.
How do we resolve these seemingly contradictory aims? On the one hand it is an opportunity to develop a lovingly intimate relationship, on the other a time for regret and awe.
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