Can love be commanded? The idea that feelings no less than actions are subject to regulation is foreign to modern man's way of thinking. It is, however, an accepted and integral part of the biblical mindset.
That granted, can love be commanded? After all, more than any other emotion, the ability to love varies among human beings. There are those who love easily and passionately and are able to open themselves to the risks that come with commitment. Others are more cautious by nature and need a great deal of habituation and training to attain some measure of love.
Some claim that God demands only the harnessing and directing to Him of the powers of love that He already implanted within every human being. At each stage of life, we possess the resources to do so. The young who love pleasure can love Him, because He is the source of all enjoyment. People who value security and power can love the God Who is their protector. The spiritually able relate to Him as the Source of all good with the power of good within themselves.
Others submit that love is a normal, natural result of contemplating God's special providence over us. "Through meditating in Torah, love will settle into the heart of necessity." In truth, the question is not 'whether' one can command love but 'who' can command it. The answer is ― God can.
As Franz Rosenzweig writes:
"Yes, of course, love cannot be commanded. No third party can, but the One can. The commandment to love can proceed only from the mouth of the lover. Only the lover can and does say, 'Love me...' In His mouth, the commandment to love is none other than the voice of love itself."
God, Who is above human comprehension Himself, in His might and glory, asks for love, for he loves us first. No, love is not being demanded ― it is being offered, and the only possible response is to return it.
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