...The Torah commands us, as two of its six constant mitzvot, to love and fear G-d...How can we acquire the necessary command of our emotions to arouse them and sustain them at will? This precisely, is the power of meditation. A successful meditation is one which arouses the heart. In Kabbalah, binah (understanding) is called "the mother" because her power of reflection gives birth to the emotions of love and fear which are called her children...Thus the Rabbis advise one who seeks love of G-d to reflect upon the wonders of nature and to study Torah. Yet this reflection and Torah study must be deep and contemplative. In other words it must become a meditation. The rabbis explain that one who penetrates into the workings of creation, or the depths of an idea, story, or commandment in Torah, will naturally and automatically be aroused to love of G-d.

...This counterbalancing of both love and fear in relation to G-d is crucial for several reasons. Personal transformation is hard work. The force of habit and the desire for comfort oppose one's efforts with a fury, for self improvement works against their interests by always demanding change and sacrifice. Love can only go so far. If not integrated with "fear," one will reach a point where there is no impetus to push through the more serious blocks and resistances. When a person knows that he is loved unconditionally, whether he strives or indulges, whether he evolves or falls, and that the Shekhina will be infinitely patient with all his meanderings, then why push it! Without the incentive of fear (whether it be of karmic consequences or estrangement from one's Beloved) a person's efforts toward self improvement will not be able to push through places of high resistance.

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