לבלתי תחטאו. לבלי תחטאו מיבעי. אלא ה״פ היראה את השם תהיה בלבבכם גם באם לא תחטאו. ולא יהיה לכם מורא העונש אלא מכל מקום יהיה מורא שמים וגדולתו מושרש בלבבכם:
... here is how it should be understood: The awe of God should be in your hearts perpetually, even if you do not sin. Without the fear of punishment one should still have awe of heaven and of the greatness of God and that should be rooted in your hearts.
But how may one discover the way to love and fear Him? When man will reflect concerning His works, and His great and wonderful creatures, and will behold through them His wonderful, matchless and infinite wisdom, he will spontaneously be filled with love, praise and exaltation and become possessed of a great longing to know the Great Name, even as David said: "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God," (Ps. 42,2); and when he will think of all these matters, he will be taken aback in a moment and stricken with awe, and realize that he is an infinitesimal creature, humble and dark, standing with an insignificant and slight knowledge in the presence of the All Wise, as David said: "For when I see Thy heavens, the wonderful works of Thy fingers, of what use is man that Thou mayest remember him?" (Ibid. 8,4). And, in harmony with these matters, I elucidate great, general principles of the works of the Lord of the universe, so that they might serve as an opening for one who understands by which to love the Name, as some sages said on the subject of love: "Out of it thou wilt recognize the One who spoke, and the universe was called into existence."