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fear, where we fear punishment or the negative consequences of our actions; we fear the embarrassment and shame of being seen as a failure. But in addition to fear, the Hebrew word “yirah” also means awe – this is because the higher form of fear is awe. This is how we feel when we enter the presence of someone who is truly great, who is the absolute best at what they do, who has devoted their entire life towards mastery and greatness. Whether this person is our personal role model or a universal model for greatness, we have a paradoxical feeling towards them. While we are magnetically drawn to them, feeling an unconquerable pull and drive to get closer to them and their greatness, we simultaneously tremble and shudder when we see them, distancing ourselves from them, because we feel inadequate compared to them. We are in awe of their immense greatness and our relative smallness. We not only want to get physically closer to them, but
we also feel a need to draw closer to their greatness; we want to become great as well, to bridge the gap between our current state and the greatness they model. We want to model their greatness. And while it would be inappropriate to simply replicate their greatness, the appropriate use of this awe-inspiring experience would be to utilize this awe to find our own unique greatness. At the root of these dual feelings caused by awe lies a simple, abstract fear: not living up to our incredible potential. When we see someone who has achieved greatness, we are reminded of what we, too, are capable of, and begin to question whether we are actualizing our own unique potential. The Ramchal (Mesilas Yesharim, 24) beautifully articulates how these two forms of yirah can be applied to yiras Hashem, loosely translated as “fear of G-d.” The first is a lower, base form of yirah, where we fear the punishment and consequences
of not listening to Hashem’s commands. This fear is rooted in shame – of being inadequate – and our desire to avoid pain. It’s a fear that creates distance between us and Hashem. The second form of yirah is the loftier of the two: awe. This experience of awe requires us to acknowledges the distance between us and Hashem, while also inspiring us to journey towards Him, bridging the gap between us. Our awe for Hashem’s greatness, and the potential for our own greatness, inspires us to strive towards our greatness and closeness with Hashem. As we can begin to see, fear is not always as bad as we think. Even fear has the potential to be used for the good. Sometimes we need to overcome fear, but sometimes we need to learn how to use it. After identifying and analyzing our various fears in this article, in our next article, we will develop the underlying strategies that will help us overcome our
inner fears and achieve the extraordinary.
Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is an author, educator, speaker, and coach who has lectured internationally on topics of Torah, psychology, and leadership. He is the founder and CEO of Self-Mastery Academy, the transformative online self-development course that is based on the principles of high-performance psychology and Torah. After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree from Yeshiva University, he received semicha from RIETS, a Master’s degree in Jewish Education from Azrieli, and a Master’s degree in Jewish Thought from Revel. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago and has also spent a year studying at Harvard as an Ivy Plus Exchange Scholar. To find more inspirational content from Rabbi Reichman, to contact him, or to learn more about Self-Mastery Academy, visit his website: ShmuelReichman.com.
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