Page 171 - DVARIM

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“You shall teach them thoroughly to your
children” Chazal teach, “All is in the hands of Heaven except for fear of
(Devarim 6:7) Heaven.” How can we be commanded to fear Hashem when we are
not given siyata di’Shemaya in this area? Also, how could there be
Egyptians who were not afraid to leave their cattle outdoors even
though they had seen Hashem’s mighty hand in the past? Hadn’t
Pharaoh proclaimed that Hashem is the Righteous One? Where did his
fear of Heaven disappear to?

Moshe said that all that Hashem asks of us is to fear Him, indicating that
yirat Shamayim is a simple matter. Is this so?

When a person accustoms himself to speak to Hashem and pray for
everything in his life, he acquires yirat Shamayim. Moshe Rabbeinu was
constantly praying to Hashem for everything. Therefore, he considered
yirat Shamayim an easily-obtained trait.

Prayer is a tool in the hands of Bnei Yisrael. The Egyptians had no
concept of it. Pharaoh asked Moshe to pray on his behalf. He recognized
the power of prayer, but denied putting it into practice. He preferred to
believe he was a deity, above such things. Therefore, he and his nation
lacked yirat Shamayim. For this, they were punished. Moshe stressed
the fact that he had to leave the city in order to pray. He was
emphasizing that the city was full of idolatry, further proof that it lacked
fear of Heaven.
The word in the first pasuk includes talmidei chachamim in the
commandment to fear Hashem. When one realizes that these Sages are
bound to Hashem by the ties of their tefillot, he will respect them, for “a
tzaddik decrees, and Hashem fulfills.”