Fear of Heaven

Yirat Shamayim — translated as “fear of heaven,” “awe of heaven,” or “reverence of heaven” — refers to an attitude toward God and is often considered an essential commandment and the basis of religious observance. In the Torah, “fear of God” connotes general ethical conduct, as may be the case in the Torah’s first use of the phrase in the story of Abraham’s visit to Gerar. Rabbinic literature and later Jewish texts expand on the concept of fearing God — claiming it is the one thing that God does not control — analyze how fear of God intersects with love of God, and discuss how to achieve fear of God.