Parashat Eikev - What is Fear?

Judaism teaches us that all is in the hands of G-d. Well, almost everything. The Gemara in Brachot (33b) teaches הכל בידי שמים – חוץ מיראת שמים - all is in the hands of Hashem except for our fear or awe of Hashem; that remains in our hands. This idea is learned from this week’s Parasha, when it says, 

וְעַתָּה֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מָ֚ה יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ שֹׁאֵ֖ל מֵעִמָּ֑ךְ כִּ֣י אִם־לְ֠יִרְאָה אֶת־יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ לָלֶ֤כֶת בְּכָל־דְּרָכָיו֙ וּלְאַהֲבָ֣ה אֹת֔וֹ וְלַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֖ וּבְכָל־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃

And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God demand of you? Only this: to revere the LORD your God, to walk only in His paths, to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.

It seems that the pasuk is teaching us that fear of Hashem is the one thing Hashem asks of us and if we fear him, that will lead us to follow in His ways. In other words, the goal is for us to follow in the way of Hashem and the mechanism to get there is fear of Hashem. If this is true, it behooves us to explore what fear of Hashem means.

On one level, fear of Hashem means what we learn in elementary school; that Hashem is watching our every action, He knows everything we do, and there will be punishment if we sin. This fear is purely about keeping us away from sin. But that does not seem to be all. Afterall, our pasuk taught us that fear will lead us to follow in His ways. Does refraining from sin actually motivate us to go positively in His ways?

The sefer Netivot Shalom suggests that our pasuk is teaching us a much deeper kind of fear. When a person does commit a sin, aside from the punishment he might deserve, a blemish is created in his neshamah that creates a spiritual distance between him and Hashem. So fear of Hashem is the ultimate form of FOMO - Fear of Missing Out. It is the fear of losing our close relationship with Hashem. If we don’t want Him to leave us, then not only do we have to avoid sin, but we have to do all the positive mitzvot that will increase our closeness to Him.

If this message is so crucial, then why would the Torah wait until close to the end of the 5th book of the Torah to introduce it? Perhaps we can suggest that Tisha B’av is now behind us and immediately we are guided to think about the Yomim Noraim - the holiest days of the year where much of the focus revolves around Teshuvah and Yirat Hashem. That is why Parashat Eikev which is always read after Tisha B’av is the Parasha to teach us this invaluable lesson. But remember, it is all in your hands. Only you can control your own relationship with Hashem.