Although it is an aspiration of mine as a Jew, I'm not really sure if I'll ever understand what the Jewish concept of Yiras Shamayim (Fear of Heaven) is really about. On *extremely* rare moments, perhaps during Neilah on a particularly good Yom Kippur, I've felt emotional trepidation at the thought of being judged by God. A tearful physical shudder at the thought of the standing before the Creator, knowing that my future is at the mercy of this awesome Force that I can't possibly comprehend. When thinking about misfortune that I see around me, I am even more likely to have this reaction. Is this Yiras Shamayim? Or perhaps the baby steps leading up to it?
Regardless of whether or not one believes in God, man must recognize that there is a force greather than himself at play in the cosmos. For the atheist, the forces of nature act at random with no will or intelligence. But the honest atheist will concede that there is a power greater than man, even it is not a cognizant entity. We are at the "mercy", if you will, of the forces of nature. Man can exert control over many aspects of existence, but can never completely protect himself from disease, natural disasters, accidents, violent acts, or the like. Sincerely contemplating the awesome nature of this force (or these forces) and how we may or may not be affected by them in the future can inspire trepidation, regardless if this force is a willful intelligent God or pure chance. I suspect that given an environment and mood that lends itself to contemplating this uncertainty in an emotional way, an atheist could fairly easily come to tears and tremble. So if what I've described above is the beginnings of fear of Heaven, can an atheist have Yiras Shamayim?
Or more likely, what I've described is not at all Yiras Shamayim, rather an inward and selfish fear for my own future, or existential angst that has much more to do with the uncertainty surrounding existence than it does with God. Oh well, I'll just have to keep trying.
Great point - I always enjoy hearing other people point things out that we all experience, but never focus on - and this is one of them.
ReplyDeleteIsn't the distinction between Yiras Chet (where we are concerned about being punished) and the higher level of Yiras Haromemus (our awe before God) very relevant here? An athiest's fear of uncertainty and death would all seem to fall under the category of Yiras Chet - he is concerned for his own skin. Whereas Yiras HaRomemus is only relevant if you are in awe of a willful intelligent God - you are amazed by His world and the way in which he runs it.
Whats also important to try and understand is the distinction between fear and awe. What is it? Is awe the feeling that you get in the desert at night, staring at the sky? That feeling is not necessarily fear - its more a feeling of insignificance and humility, perhaps...
Perhaps Yiras Shomayim is fear of the Unknown (capital "U").
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