Awakening Love Above
בפסוק ואהבת את ה"א
On the pasuk "And you shall love Hashem your God" (Devarim 6:5).
The piece opens with the mitzvah of loving Hashem from the first parsha of Shema.
הפי' לעורר האהבה למעלה כמ"ש בזוה"ק מאן דרחים למלכא גרם חסד לכולא כמו באברהם אע"ה דכ' אברהם אוהבי והחסד מתגלגל בעולם בשבילו
The meaning is to awaken love Above, as the Zohar HaKadosh says: "Whoever loves the King causes kindness to flow to all," just as by Avraham Avinu, of whom it is written "Avraham who loves Me" (Yeshayahu 41:8) — and through him the attribute of chesed is set rolling throughout the world.
Loving Hashem means awakening that love in the upper worlds, which draws chesed down into the world — just as Avraham Avinu, called "My beloved," caused kindness to spread everywhere.
לכן ואהבת פועל יוצא כדאיתא שיהי' שם שמים מתאהב על ידך לכן מסיים והיו הדברים האלה וכ' רש"י מה האהבה והיו הדברים כו'
Therefore "And you shall love" is a transitive verb, as our Sages teach that you should cause the name of Heaven to become beloved through you; this is why the pasuk concludes "And these words shall be" (Devarim 6:6), and Rashi explains: What is this love? "And these words shall be..."
The command "And you shall love" is not merely a private feeling; it is an action that makes Hashem's Name beloved to others, which is why the Torah immediately follows with placing His words upon our hearts.
ולפי' הנ"ל א"ש דהקב"ה מתאוה שיהיו עמלים בתורה כמ"ש בפ' בחקותי
And according to the above explanation it fits well that the Holy One, Blessed is He, yearns that Bnei Yisrael toil in Torah, as is said in Parshas Bechukosai.
This explains why the Holy One, Blessed is He, desires that Bnei Yisrael exert themselves in Torah study.
לכן ע"י עסק התורה גורמים האהבה למעלה [בפרט ע"י מס"נ שנעשה היחוד למעלה ז"ש ה' אחד ואהבת את ה' ודו"ק] ומה מאוד צריך איש ישראל להתפעל בזו המצוה ואהבת
Therefore through the labor of Torah we cause love Above [in particular through mesirus nefesh, by which the unification Above is effected — and this is the meaning of "Hashem is One" together with "And you shall love Hashem"; ponder this carefully] — and how very much must a Jew be stirred and aroused by this mitzvah of "And you shall love."
Through toiling in Torah, and especially through mesirus nefesh, a Jew brings about the unification Above hinted at in "Hashem is One" — so one should be deeply moved by this mitzvah.
שהקב"ה שרם ונעלה מכל
For the Holy One, Blessed is He, who is exalted and elevated above all,
The Sfas Emes marvels that Hashem, who is utterly exalted above everything,
מבקש מאיש ישראל לאהוב אותו
asks of a Jew to love Him,
nevertheless asks a mere human being to love Him.
והוא פלא בעיני המלאכים ושרים העליונים
and this is a wonder in the eyes of the malachim and the supernal ministering powers Above.
Even the malachim and lofty supernal powers find this astonishing.
והכל בעבור שאנחנו משוקעים בעוה"ז השפל ורצונו ית"ש שיעזוב האדם הבלי עולם ויתדבק באהבתו ית"ש:
And it is all because we are sunk in this lowly world, and the will of Hashem, may His Name be blessed, is that a person abandon the vanities of the world and cleave to love of Him, may His Name be blessed.
The reason is that we live immersed in this lowly physical world, and Hashem desires that a person let go of worldly vanities and attach himself in love to Him.
Summary: The Sfas Emes explains that the mitzvah of "And you shall love Hashem your God" is not only an inner emotion but a transitive act: by loving Hashem a Jew awakens love in the upper worlds and draws chesed down into creation, just as Avraham Avinu, Hashem's beloved, caused kindness to flow throughout the world. This is why the Torah follows the command with placing His words upon our hearts, and why the Holy One, Blessed is He, yearns that Bnei Yisrael toil in Torah — for through such labor, especially with mesirus nefesh, the unification of "Hashem is One" is effected Above. The Sfas Emes marvels that Hashem, exalted beyond all, asks a lowly human to love Him, a wonder even to the malachim and the highest supernal powers. The reason is that precisely because we are sunk in this lowly world, Hashem's will is that a person abandon its vanities and cleave to Him in love.