Inside Tefillin – Shema Yisrael Loving G-d From The Bottom Of Your Heart The Shema Yisrael prayer is very central in Judaism. We say it several times a day, don it in Tefillin and place it on our doors in Mezuzas. Its second pasuk tells us that we need to love G-d With your whole heart Bechol Levavecha,

With your whole heart Bechol Levavecha, a popular explanation for this statement is that a whole heart includes both the yetzer hatov – good inclination and the yetzer hara – bad inclination. It has been stated that a child has no good inclination; instead all of their activities are either instinct or selfishness. The mind develops at the same time that the child’s body matures. This final burst of physical and mental growth brings the good inclination with it. What do we mean by good inclination? Teenagers who were asked about this issue concentrated on the major physical and hormonal changes that they feel are very intense. However, they also said that as mature “men” they now understand the inherent value of doing good, the ability to serve G-d correctly, and to don Tefillin. This good inclination is at best a hazy concept to a small child.