Chapter 19 - The Elements of Chassidut/Piety Page 381

Spiritual Thirst: The Path to Divine Love

The source, excerpts from a lecture by Rabbi Moshe Haber, explores the concept of loving God (Hashem) and the resulting spiritual yearning that pulls an individual toward religious observance. He discusses how this spiritual devotion, rooted in desire and love, is the opposite of the body's natural inclination to run away from difficult practices, such as long study sessions. The Rabbi uses the analogy of a love song where everything else crumbles but the beloved remains, suggesting that spiritual life and Torah should be so vital that they supersede worldly concerns like popularity, money, or reputation. Ultimately, he suggests that one can develop this deep spiritual core by repeatedly fusing spiritual meaning with physical action, creating an enjoyable "game" or "zone" that becomes a favorite, all-encompassing pastime.