EXOD218 The true Jew not only obeys the letter of the law; he is anxious for the opportunity to do even more than the strict law demands of him. [The phrase coined by the Talmud is 'Simchah shel Mitzvah,' see Shabb. 31b; Ber. 33b]. "Fear of God" is the beginning of knowledge; the end of religious teaching is to love God and serve our fellow-man. It means to be conscious that we owe Him a debt of gratitude which we can never adequately repay. One of the ways in which we can express our gratitude is to find pleasure in the performance of the duties devolving upon us, as well as to be possessed of an implicit trust that all that happens to us is, in the long run, for the best. Filled with this belief, we can safely entrust ourselves to Him everywhere and all times, confident in His guidance, glorying in His salvation. Real faith, though it inspires resignation, does not mean a heartless indifference, a kind of "could not care less" attitude. It must be dynamic and ready to inspire heroism and self-sacrifice. "The Lord is a man of battle" [this verse]; so must a faith that is worthwhile be militant for its convictions. Especially courageous must faith be against evil inclinations, against the Yetser Ha'ra, placed in us in accordance with the Divine scheme of things as an essential constituent in human nature without which the march of civilization, chequered as it is, would be impossible.