How To Love God Part 1LOVE CREATESThe love of God can permeate a person to the extent that they have no separate identity.A person becomes the Godliness that they love.This is one of the benefits that love of God has, beyond fear of God.For when a person fears someone or something they can remain a separate identity – a person who is afraid of something that can harm them.As love possesses the quality of drawing close to what/whom one loves, therefore one becomes it.LOVE AND WORLDLY PLEASURESAs such, a person who loves God, his heart will transform away from loving foolish worldly pleasure, toward loving of God.As the famous statement, “Just as fire and water cannot exist in the same container – similarly, love of God and worldly pleasures can’t co-exist in the same heart.”REFININGThe reason for this is as love creates the identity of the individual – therefore a person cannot be two opposite identities.It is for this reason, the way to fix and improve the animal soul (character) is specifically by loving God.For whereas when one fears God one suppresses the animal soul, but to refine the animal soul, the person must love God.THE MITZVAHThe Mitzvah to love God is not a commandment, “To love” (for either the heart loves or doesn’t…. if it does, one needs not to be commanded… and if it doesn’t, a commandment, won’t help…) rather it is the commandment to contemplate matters that will cuase Divine love.So the Mitzvah is to contemplate to the point that love is aroused (felt.)This inspiration is the purpose of the verse “Shema Yisroel” (contemplating how everything is in actuality God.)When a person contemplates “meditations” (contemplations…) which cause one to love God, the effect is the result.This also is one of the explanations of the Mitzvah and terminology / “V’ahavtah” “And You Should Love God” that as a result of meditating (contemplating…) love for God will automatically result.SEEINGThis is also why in the first four books of the Torah, such a fundamental Mitzvah was not mentioned – only in the final book of the Torah when Mosheh Rabeinu is specifically speaking to the Jewish people going into Israel – the Mitzvah to Love Hashem (in the book of Devarim comes.)Because the Jews who left Egypt – as they saw Godliness, they had no need to contemplate – as seeing transcends thinking / contemplating about something.CAUSING LOVENevertheless (despite the fact, one cannot be commanded to love God, this refers exclusively to love of Ratzu – yearning) however the flip side of Loving God, which as the Rambam explains which is to cause that through (or because of you) others love God, this applies to everyone.