Q&A: Love on God's Part
Love on God's Part
Question
Hello again, Rabbi,
"He will love you, bless you, and multiply you"; "I have loved you, says the Lord."
According to the doctrine of negative attributes, and in general, how can it make sense to say that the Holy One, blessed be He, loves us? I can’t manage to grasp how that works if He is certainly not constituted like we are…
And if He doesn’t really love us, and that is only how He is revealed to us, then how are we commanded in "and you shall love the Lord…"? Surely love cannot exist without at least a minimum of reciprocity?
I’d also be glad for other sources for further expansion…
Thank you very much
Answer
You answered yourself. We perceive Him as loving. What does that mean from His own standpoint? I have no idea.
The love is reciprocal, since from our perspective He loves us. That is so even if we assume that reciprocity is required. But I’m not sure you’re right about that. There are quite a few novels in which, for example, a man loves a woman even though she does not return his love. See, for example, "The Little Notebook" (both in the song by Sheshi Keshet, and even more so in the story on which it is based), and it requires further examination whether in the end she returned his love or only her appreciation. In my humble opinion, the latter formulation seems primary. So I even gave you sources… 🙂
Yet another proof that true greatness comes out of four cubits