“What does the Lord your God ask of you? Only to fear the Lord your God….” מָה יְ-הֹוָה אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ שֹׁאֵל מֵעִמָּךְ כִּי אִם־לְיִרְאָה אֶת־יְ-הֹוָה אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ Mah A-donai E-lohecha shoel me’imach, ki im l’yirah es A-donai E-lohecha. (Deuteronomy 10:12)

The simple understanding of this often quoted verse is that Moses is telling the people that God asks only that they should fear Him. But the Maggid of Mezeritch examines the peculiar wording of the verse, and reveals a mind-blowing secret that completely transforms our understanding of the concept of “fear of God.”

There are no extraneous words or even letters in Torah. So why, the Maggid asks, are the words “the Lord your God” repeated at both the beginning and the end of the verse when it could have more........

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