אַהֲבָה רַבָּה אֲהַבְתָּֽנוּ יי אֱלֹקֵֽינוּ חֶמְלָה גְדוֹלָה וִיתֵרָה חָמַֽלְתָּ עָלֵֽינוּ: אָבִֽינוּ מַלְכֵּֽנוּ בַּעֲבוּר אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ שֶׁבָּטְ֒חוּ בְךָ וַתְּ֒לַמְּ֒דֵם חֻקֵּי חַיִּים כֵּן תְּחָנֵּֽנוּ וּתְלַמְּ֒דֵֽנוּ: אָבִֽינוּ הָאָב הָרַחֲמָן הַמְ֒רַחֵם רַחֵם עָלֵֽינוּ וְתֵן בְּלִבֵּֽנוּ לְהָבִין וּלְהַשְׂכִּיל לִשְׁמֹֽעַ לִלְמֹד וּלְ֒לַמֵּד לִשְׁמֹר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת וּלְקַיֵּם אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי תַלְמוּד תּוֹרָתֶֽךָ בְּאַהֲבָה:
With an abounding love, you love us, Nurturer, our God; with great compassion do you care for us. Our source, our sovereign, just as our ancestors placed their trust in you, and you imparted to them laws of life, so be gracious to us, too, and teach us. Our fount, our loving parent, caring one, be merciful with us, and place into our hearts ability to understand, to see, to hear, to learn, to teach, to keep, to do, and to uphold with love all that we study of your Torah.
Ahavah rabah ahavtanu
adonay eloheynu, chemla gedolah viterah, chamalta aleynu.
Avinu malkenu, ba'avur avotenu ve'imoteynu, shebatechu vecha (shebatcechu vecha, Avinu malkenu) / Vatalmdem chukey chaym, ken techonenu utelamdenu. Avinu ha'av harachaman, hamrachem rachem aleynu / veten bilebenu lehavin, (lehavin) ulhaskil lishmo'a, lilmod ulelamed lishmor vela'asot, ulkayem et kol divrey, talmud toratecha be'ahavah.
Beginning with Our Own Torah
Recall a moment when you felt truly loved. This could be by a person, place, plant, animal, and more. What did you feel in your body? What about this moment enabled you to feel that way?
About Ahavah Rabah
In Ashkenazic custom, Ahavah Rabah is recited immediately before the Shema during morning prayers. In Sephardic custom, the prayer is recited twice a day and uses "Ahavat Olam" rather than "Ahavah Rabah" as the first two words. It's unclear when this prayer was standardized, though some say it was between 600-1000 CE in the Geonic era. The prayer fulfills the mitzvah of saying a blessing before Torah study.
"Ahavah Rabah - Transformative Love" by Rabbi Toba Spitzer
I would translate this as: "Source of Life, You have loved us with a vast, expansive love; an overflowing, unconditional love pours out upon us."
...
[Love is] not a belief, it’s not a leap of faith, it’s not a philosophical proposition. It’s a discipline - to open our minds and hearts to the goodness right here in me, right there in you - right there in everyone, in fact, even if it is sometimes obscured by ignorance and hate. To take on this discipline, we first need to be able to receive love."
Question to Consider
Do you think love is a discipline? If so, how might we practice it?
Ending with Our Own Torah
Return to the moment we began with––a moment when you felt truly loved. In what ways did feeling loved influence your ability to give love?
Sources
"Ahavah Rabah," Kol HaNeshamah: Shabbat v'Chagim, pg. 273.
Rabbi Toba Spitzer. "Ahavah Rabah - Transformative Love," Congregation Dorshei Tzedek, 2019. https://www.dorsheitzedek.org/divrei-torah/rabbi-toba-spitzer?post_id=932136