20th Century Jewish Religious Thought: Original Essays on Critical Concepts, Movements, and Beliefs

Fear of God

Fear of God Byron L. Sherwin T he Torah is of no use to an individual but for yirat shamayim (lit., fear or awe of heaven, that is, of God), for it [yirat shamayim] is the very peg upon which everything hangs. "1 This observation in the medieval ethical treatise Or~ot ~addikim reaffirms the perspective of Hebrew Scripture that considers yirat shamayim to be the essential attitude that characterizes the religious personality. The term yire shamayim is used in Hebrew, as the term God-fearing is used in English, to refer to a person of religious faith and moral virtue. In Judaism the religious person is not characterized primarily as a believer who assents to a given creed, as in other religions. Rather, the religious person is depicted as one who has yirat shamayim or yirat ha-Shem, fear and awe of God. Indeed, for Judaism, yirat shamayim is almost a synonym for religion. While Scripture considers love as the primary attitude of God vis-a-vis human beings, yirah is Scripture's primary attitudinal requirement for human beings in their relationship with God. The obligation for one to have yirah of God is stated many more times in Hebrew Scripture than is the requirement for one to love God. 246 FEAR OF GOD Scripture identifies yirah of God with religious commitment. For example , when Jonah states that he is a "Hebrew," he explains that to mean that he is one who has "yirah of the God of Heaven" Oonah 1:9). The opening verse of the Book of Job describes Job as "blameless and upright; he had yirah of God and shunned evil" Oob 1:1; see also Gen. 22:12,42:18). The Book of Proverbs characterizes the righteous as those who have yirah of God (Prov. 10:27, 14:27, 19:23). Yirah of God is inextricably related by Scripture to moral action. Yirah of God is considered by Scripture to be the essential ingredient for a life of happiness and of virtue (see, for example, Ps. 112:1; Provo 19:23). Indeed, yirah of God engenders moral and even courageous behavior (see Ex. 1:21). Yirah of God also serves as the ultimate justification for moral behavior: one should treat one's fellow in a particular manner because one has yirah of God (see Gen. 42:18; Lev. 19:14,32,25:17,36,43). Conversely, yirah of God is described as a necessary and sufficient means of dissuading immoral behavior (see Gen. 20:11; Ex. 20:17; Mal. 3:5; Provo 8:13, 14:27, 16:6; Neh. 5: 15). Implicit in these texts is the expectation that fear of God's punishment and awe of his majesty provide fundamental motivation for a life of moral rectitude. Other texts explicitly regard longevity as a reward that can be anticipated by those who live a life motivated by yirah of God. Finally, for Scripture, yirah of God ensures not only moral rectitude but also wisdom (Job 28:28; see also Isa. 11:3; Ps. 111:10; Provo 2:5-9, 9:10, 15:33). The term yirat shamayim is of rabbinic, not biblical, origin. The Hebrew Bible uses direct terms such as yirat elohim or yirat adonai to denote fear or awe of God. In biblical Hebrew, the term yirah denotes fright or fear, and awe or reverence.2 It can also denote anxiety, as in Genesis 26:24, which may be translated, "Do not be anxious, for I [God] am with you" (see also, for example, Gen. 15:1; Isa. 41:10; jer. 1:8). In rabbinic Hebrew and in rabbinic literature, the semantic and conceptual features of yirah of God were expanded and clarified. Discussion of yirah of God in rabbinic literature focuses on two issues: the distinction between fear and awe of God and the relationship between yirah of God and love of God. These two issues also provide much of the agenda for medieval Jewish literature's further analysis and amplification of the notion of yirah of God. While Scripture does not distinguish between fear of God and awe of God, both denoted by yirah, rabbinic literature initiates a discussion that attempts to differentiate between these two distinct attitudes, denoted by the identical word. Furthermore, while Scripture clearly subordinates love FEAR OF GOD 247 of God to yirah of God, rabbinic literature resists considering the matter a closed one...