Chasidut for Pesachim 44:15
ואלא השתא דכתיבי הנך קראי לכם למה לי לכדתניא לכם לרבות את הנטוע
Subsequently<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'until'.');"><sup>28</sup></span> R'Akiba came and taught:Thou shalt fear[eth] the Lord thy God is to include scholars.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who are the depositaries of God's word; hence the verse exhorts obedience to religious authority.');"><sup>29</sup></span> But there is 'orlah,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' v. Glos.');"><sup>30</sup></span> whereof the Merciful One saith, Three years shall it be forbidden unto you: it shall not be eaten;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XIX, 23.');"><sup>31</sup></span> yet it was taught: 'It shall be as forbidden unto you: it shall not be eaten'. [Thus] I only know the prohibition of eating; whence do we know that a man may not benefit from it, that he may not dye or light a lamp with it? From the verse, then ye shall count [the fruit thereof] as forbidden: [three years shall they be] as forbidden [unto you]: it sh not be eaten;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XIX, 23.');"><sup>31</sup></span> which is to include all of them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the repetition of 'forbidden' is an extension.');"><sup>32</sup></span> Thus the reason is that Scripture wrote, 'then ye shall count the fruit thereof as forbidden. they shall be as forbidden; but if it were not so,I would say, it implies a prohibition of eating, [but] it does not imply a prohibition of benefit? - In truth 'it shall not be eaten' implies both a prohibition of eating and a prohibition of benefit, but there it is different, because it is written, 'unto you', and thus it is necessary: I might argue, since it is written, 'unto you,' [that implies] it shall be yours;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' viz., you may use it, though not eat it.');"><sup>33</sup></span> hence we are informed [that it is not so]. Then now that these verses<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Repeating the phrase 'forbidden' to extend the prohibition to general benefit.');"><sup>34</sup></span> are written, what is the purpose of 'unto you'? - For what was taught: 'unto you': this is to include what is planted
Kedushat Levi
We have a standing rule according to which it is permissible to be afraid of something or someone bigger than oneself, whereas it is forbidden to be afraid of someone smaller than oneself. In other words, whereas it is permissible to be afraid of G’d, it is not permissible to be afraid of anyone other than G’d. This is why all manner of idol worship is prohibited.
The attribute of love enables one to love those who are “smaller” than we are, notably the members of our household who depend on us. When we keep this rule in mind we will be able to understand a story in the Talmud Kiddushin 57 where it is related that Shimon ben Ammasuni undertook to explain the meaning of each word את in the Torah, proving that the word invariably includes something that the Torah had not spelled out specifically. However, when he came to the line (Deuteronomy 6,13) את ה' אלוקיך תירא, “you are to revere the Lord your G’d,” he was stymied, not knowing what the word את in that line could possibly add, as it is forbidden to revere anyone other than the Lord. His students asked him if he thought that all the explanations that he had found for the other times that the word את occurs should be disregarded? He replied that “just as the Torah promises a reward for explaining its intricacies, so it rewards those who refrain from offering explanations that are not appropriate.” In the meantime, Rabbi Akiva who had heard of Shimon ben Ammasuni’s dilemma, said that even this את added an additional meaning to the verse in which it appeared, suggesting that the Torah scholars deserve to be revered also. Rabbi Akiva was able to offer this explanation since Torah scholars are “greater” than the ordinary people consulting them, so that they fit the principle that it is allowed to revere, be in awe of, people that are greater than oneself. This is a basic difference between the attribute of reverence, יראה, and the attribute of אהבה, love. While it is in order to say: “I am afraid of you,” to someone more powerful than oneself, a king for instance, it is not in order to say to such a king: “I love you.” It is, however, permissible to say to such a king: “I love to be in your house,” “I love to serve you,” etc.
The above distinction explains why Shimon ben Amassuni had not found a problem with the word את in Deuteronomy 6,5 where the Torah writes: ואהבת את ה' אלוקיך, “you shall love the Lord your G’d.” He understood this verse as not applying to G’d’s essence, but to attributes of G’d, attributes worth emulating because they make Him lovable. This is also why Rabbi Akiva was able to resolve his difficulty when he suggested that reverence for Torah scholars, who are an extension of G’d from Whom they received their knowledge and stature, therefore qualify for a portion of reverence that is due to their Master. Seeing that the Torah scholar is a servant of G’d, he too is entitled to some of his Master’s reflected glory.
Avraham’s major attribute was אהבה, his love for people. This attribute included even in their concerns with matters that did not involve their relations to the Creator. This being so, G’d did not object to his descending to Egypt, leaving the soil of the Holy Land. His son Yitzchok’s primary attribute was יראה, reverence for the Essence of G’d; i.e. he concentrated all his faculties on how to serve G’d. This being so, it would have interfered with his basic character were he to leave the sacred soil of the land of Israel for even a short period.