DEUT414 Therefore, we must pity those men who are sunk in meaningless vanities and teach them ... what are the best ways, so that a man will choose from the beginning the path that will bring him to a fresh and fertile place were all good is to be found. And this is the fear of Hashem, which is the purpose of all deeds. And this is the query addressed by Hashem to all men, as it is written [this verse]: "What does Hashem your God ask of you, but fear." And no deed is of much value without pure fear. Therefore, all men must be informed that anyone who wishes to attain worthy character traits must intermix fear of Hashem with each trait, for fear of Hashem is the common bond among all of the traits. This may be compared to a string which has been strung through the holes of pearls, with a knot tied at its end to hold the pearls. There is no question that if the knot is cut, all the pearls will fall. It is the same with fear of Hashem. It is the knot which secures all of the good traits, and if you remove it, all of the good traits will depart from you. And if you do not have good traits, you do not have Torah and mitzvot, for all of Torah hinges upon the perfection of one's traits.