The commandment of loving God: That we were commanded to love the Omnipresent, blessed be He (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Foundations of the Torah 2:1), as it is stated (Deuteronomy 6:5), “And you shall love the Lord, your God.” And the content of this commandment is that we should think about and contemplate His commands and His actions to the point that we comprehend Him according to our ability and that we delight in His providence with complete delight. And this is [this] special love. And the language of the Sifrei is “Since it is stated, ‘And you shall love,’ I would not know how a man is to love the Omnipresent. [Hence,] we learn to say, ‘And these things that I command you today shall be upon your heart’ (Deuteronomy 6:6) — that through this, you will recognize the One that spoke and the world [came into being].” [This] means to say that with contemplation in Torah, the love will perforce [find its place] in the heart. And they [also] said that this love obligates a man to arouse [other] people, from his love, to serve Him, as we found with Avraham.
The laws of the commandment: That it is fitting for a person to put all of his thought and all of his effort towards the love of God; and he should always evaluate in his heart that all that there is in the world — of wealth, children, power and honor — it is all like nothing and zero and void compared to love for Him, blessed be He. And he should always strive the whole day at seeking wisdom, so that he will fathom knowledge of Him. [In the final] word, he should use all of his effort to accustom the thoughts of his heart to faith in Him and His unity, to the point that there not be an instant in the day or the night, when he is awake, that he not remember the love of his Master with all of his heart. And the matter of constantly remembering the love of God is metaphorically like the remembering of the lover who is completely desirous, with his desire to accomplish the bringing of [his beloved] to his home. [These] and the rest of its details are elucidated in scattered places in the Gemara and in the Midrash.
And this commandment is practiced in every place and at all times by males and females. And one who transgresses it and fixes his thought on physical matters and on the vanities of the world — not for the sake of Heaven, but only to delight in them, or to acquire honor in this illusory world to aggrandize his name, not with the intention of doing good to the good and to strengthen the hands of the just — has violated this positive commandment, and his punishment is great. And this is from the commandments constantly upon a person and always incumbent upon him.
מִצְוַת אַהֲבַת הַשֵּׁם – שֶׁנִּצְטַוִּינוּ לֶאֱהֹב אֶת הַמָּקוֹם בָּרוּךְ הוּא, (רמב"ם יסודי התורה פ"ב ה"א) שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ו ה) וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ. וְעִנְיַן הַמִּצְוָה שֶׁנַּחְשֹׁב וְנִתְבּוֹנֵן בְּפִקּוּדָיו וּפְעֻלּוֹתָיו עַד שֶׁנַּשִּׂיגֵהוּ כְּפִי יְכָלְתֵּנוּ וְנִתְעַנֵּג בְּהַשְׁגָּחָתוֹ בְּתַכְלִית הָעֹנֶג, וְזֹאת הִיא הָאַהֲבָה הַמְיֻחֶדֶת. וּלְשׁוֹן סִפְרֵי (כאן), לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ כֵּיצַד אוֹהֵב אָדָם אֶת הַמָּקוֹם. תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם עַל לְבָבֶךָ, שֶׁמִּתּוֹךְ כָּךְ אַתָּה מַכִּיר אֶת מִי שֶׁאָמַר וְהָיָה הָעוֹלָם, כְּלוֹמַר, שֶׁעִם הִתְבּוֹנְנוּת בַּתּוֹרָה תִּתְיַשֵּׁב הָאַהֲבָה בַּלֵּב בְּהֶכְרֵחַ. וְאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (שם) שֶׁזֹּאת הָאַהֲבָה תְּחַיֵּב הָאָדָם לְעוֹרֵר בְּנֵי אָדָם בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ לְעָבְדוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ בְּאַבְרָהָם.
The commandment of loving God: That we were commanded to love the Omnipresent, blessed be He (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Foundations of the Torah 2:1), as it is stated (Deuteronomy 6:5), “And you shall love the Lord, your God.” And the content of this commandment is that we should think about and contemplate His commands and His actions to the point that we comprehend Him according to our ability and that we delight in His providence with complete delight. And this is [this] special love. And the language of the Sifrei is “Since it is stated, ‘And you shall love,’ I would not know how a man is to love the Omnipresent. [Hence,] we learn to say, ‘And these things that I command you today shall be upon your heart’ (Deuteronomy 6:6) — that through this, you will recognize the One that spoke and the world [came into being].” [This] means to say that with contemplation in Torah, the love will perforce [find its place] in the heart. And they [also] said that this love obligates a man to arouse [other] people, from his love, to serve Him, as we found with Avraham.
שֹׁרֶשׁ מִצְוָה זוֹ יָדוּעַ, שֶׁלֹּא יְקַיֵּם הָאָדָם מִצְוַת הַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא יָפֶה, רַק בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ אוֹתוֹ.
The root of this commandment is well-known, as a man can only fulfill the commandments of God, blessed be He, properly with his love of Him.
דִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה. שֶׁרָאוּי לוֹ לָאָדָם שֶׁיָּשִׂים כָּל מַחְשַׁבְתּוֹ וְכָל מְגַמָּתוֹ אַחַר אַהֲבַת הַשֵּׁם, וְיַעֲרִיךְ בְּלִבּוֹ תָּמִיד, כִּי כָּל מָה שֶׁהוּא בָּעוֹלָם מֵעֹשֶׁר וּבָנִים וְכָבוֹד הַכֹּל כְּאַיִן וּכְאֶפֶס וָתֹהוּ כְּנֶגֶד אַהֲבָתוֹ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וְיִיגַע תָּמִיד כָּל הַיּוֹם בְּבַקָּשַׁת הַחָכְמָה לְמַעַן יַשִּׂיג יְדִיעָה בּוֹ, סוֹף כָּל דָּבָר, יַעֲשֶׂה כָּל יְכָלְתּוֹ לְהַרְגִּיל מַחְשְׁבוֹת לִבּוֹ כָּל הַיּוֹם בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֹ וְיִחוּדוֹ, עַד שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה רֶגַע אֶחָד בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה בֶּהֱקִיצוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא זוֹכֵר אַהֲבַת אֲדוֹנָיו בְּכָל לִבּוֹ. וְהָעִנְיָן עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל, שֶׁיְּהֵא נִזְכָּר בְּאַהֲבַת הַשֵּׁם תָּמִיד, כְּזִכְרוֹן הַחוֹשֵׁק תַּכְלִית הַחֵשֶׁק בַּחֲשׁוּקָתוֹ שֶׁיַּשִּׂיג לַהֲבִיאָהּ אֶל בֵּיתוֹ. וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטֶיהָ מְבֹאָרִים בִּמְקוֹמוֹת בַּגְּמָרָא בְּפִזּוּר וּבַמִּדְרָשִׁים.
The laws of the commandment: That it is fitting for a person to put all of his thought and all of his effort towards the love of God; and he should always evaluate in his heart that all that there is in the world — of wealth, children, power and honor — it is all like nothing and zero and void compared to love for Him, blessed be He. And he should always strive the whole day at seeking wisdom, so that he will fathom knowledge of Him. [In the final] word, he should use all of his effort to accustom the thoughts of his heart to faith in Him and His unity, to the point that there not be an instant in the day or the night, when he is awake, that he not remember the love of his Master with all of his heart. And the matter of constantly remembering the love of God is metaphorically like the remembering of the lover who is completely desirous, with his desire to accomplish the bringing of [his beloved] to his home. [These] and the rest of its details are elucidated in scattered places in the Gemara and in the Midrash.
וְנוֹהֶגֶת בְּכָל מָקוֹם וּבְכָל זְמַן בִּזְכָרִים וּנְקֵבוֹת, וְהָעוֹבֵר עַל זֶה וְקוֹבֵעַ מַחְשַׁבְתּוֹ בָּעִנְיָנִים הַגַּשְׁמִיִּים וּבְהַבְלֵי הָעוֹלָם שֶׁלֹּא לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, רַק לְהִתְעַנֵּג בָּהֶם לְבַד, אוֹ לְהַשִּׂיג כְּבוֹד הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הַכּוֹזֵב, לְהַגְדִּיל שְׁמוֹ לֹא לְכַוָּנָה לְהֵטִיב לַטּוֹבִים וּלְחַזֵּק יְדֵי הַיְּשָׁרִים בִּטֵּל עֲשֵׂה זֶה וְעָנְשׁוֹ גָּדוֹל. וְזֹאת מִן הַמִּצְוֹת הַתְּמִידִיּוֹת עַל הָאָדָם וּמֻטָּלוֹת עָלָיו לְעוֹלָם.
And this commandment is practiced in every place and at all times by males and females. And one who transgresses it and fixes his thought on physical matters and on the vanities of the world — not for the sake of Heaven, but only to delight in them, or to acquire honor in this illusory world to aggrandize his name, not with the intention of doing good to the good and to strengthen the hands of the just — has violated this positive commandment, and his punishment is great. And this is from the commandments constantly upon a person and always incumbent upon him.