Session 9: What is Yirat Shamayim?

Last night, the DCA Think Tank members discussed the concept of “Yirat Shamayim”: what it means to them, what role it plays in their religious lives, and whether critical thinking and academic analysis affects it negatively.

Their definitions included:

• A feeling that I am accountable for my deeds
• A sense of awe
• A moral compass. Even if no one else knows, I must still watch my own deeds.
• A humility in the face of something that is greater than myself, the Transcendent
• The belief that I will be rewarded or punished
• Fear of sin

What is your definition? And what is your answer to the other two questions?