The Baal Shem Tov taught:
Since the Jewish people had already said [Ex. 24:7], “We will do and obey whatever G•d says,” why does oral tradition say that G‑d had to impose the Torah on the Jewish people by holding Mount Sinai over their heads and threatening to bury them underneath it if they didn’t accept it?
The answer is that this comes to teach us that even when one has no desire to learn Torah and serve G‑d, nevertheless, one is not absolved from doing so. One must force oneself by visualizing that [G‑d] is [now holding Mount Sinai over his head and] forcing him.
[This is not meant merely as a theoretical thought, but as a meditative visualization that can re-ignite the enthusiasm of, “We will do and obey,” that naturally wanes and waxes throughout the day.]
[Kesser Shem Tov Hashalem, Ch. 47; First posted on //baalshemtov.com; reprinted with permission.]
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