Eikev: All You Need Is... (sing it with me!)

Ok, so every once in a while I reserve the right to get a little touchy-feely in my blog. I know, I know, you're wrinkling your eye brows at me and making a face, but I don't care! This week I'm going to write about love, because it's a pretty prevalent theme in our Torah portion. I figure, if the Torah can do it, so can I. This won't be as eloquent or captivating, obviously, but here goes.

Reading through the parasha this week, I was really struck by how love came up six different times; twice God loves us, and four times we are expected to love God in return. Moses is in the middle of delivering his speech to the people, and he reminds them of everything God has done for them - often undeserved, and frequently reciprocated with complaints, whining, and even rebellion. Yet Moses continues to implore the people to love God.

So I decided to delve a little deeper into this concept of "love." Love is a tremendously powerful emotion - as Hollywood surely reminds us on a regular basis - and it is particularly appropriate in this context. The thing is, love isn't about convenience. If you fall in love, you have no control over it, and you can't turn it on or off when you feel like it. Our relationship with God is a fact, whether we acknowledge it or not. And more importantly, it perseveres, no matter what happens. It endures despite our worshiping idols and God's allowing the Holocaust to occur. Love isn't about perfection either. We acknowledge that God doesn't always get it right, and we certainly hope that God accepts our flaws and idiosyncrasies. Love also doesn't mean never criticizing the other party; sometimes God needs to hear our anger, our frustration, and our disappointment, and God has a right to discipline and chastise us in return.

But isn't that what love means between people as well? Hollywood confuses us with Disney-fied myths about love, but really it means so much more. It's more complicated, more intricate, and much, much more beautiful. We express love even when we're upset, and just because the one we love has let us down, we don't walk away. We stay and we fight for love!

That is what Moses demands of us. Because we all know that it's worth it. Despite the complexity, the heartache, and the steep learning curves, love is always worth it. I hope that when you finish reading this blog post you'll remember this: There's no one way, or a right and a wrong way, to express that love. When we bless our children at Friday night dinner, when we recite Kaddish for a loved one who has died, when we join one of the synagogue's Social Action projects to show the wider community that we care, or when we visit someone who is sick; these are all expressions of love. We each find the way that is the most meaningful to us, and regardless of what we decide, they are all so deeply meaningful to God.

I warned you it was going to be a bit sappier than usual. But I feel strongly that we need to talk about love. It isn't expressed enough, and it isn't displayed enough. I hope we can all put aside our cynicism and self-consciousness for a little while, and truly hear what the Torah is trying to tell us: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might" (Deut. 6:5). Of course, how you choose to express all that love is entirely up to you!