An excerpt from the Chofetz Chaim's Chomas Hadas, translated by Shmuel Elchonon Brog.

Our sages say: Everything that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, created in His universe was created only for His honor, because it is written, "Whatever is called in My Name, for My honor I created it..." (Isaiah 43:7). Thus, all the creatures of the earth are obligated to honor His Name, as it says, "Give to the Lord all you families of nations, give to the Lord honor and strength" (Chronicles I 16:28). (Our sages state that when Ehud told Eglon, King of Moab, "I wish to tell you the word of God,... he [Eglon] rose from his throne" (Judges 3:20), and because of this merited that Ruth the Moabite should be of his seed. Likewise, because Nebuchadnezer ran several steps in honor of God when he was scribe to Sancheriv, he later merited all the honor that was his.)

This is particularly true for the nation God chose as His portion, who was called by Him "children" ? "You are the Children of the Lord your God" (Deut. 14:1). Surely they must be alert to honor His Name, i.e. to sincerely accept God as King with the responsibilities that this implies (to accept God as King with the responsibilities that this implies [kabalas ol malchus shamayim].

Every Jew is obligated to recognize that Hashem is his Master, to willingly accept Hashem's rule, and to submit to Him and to His decrees as a servant does to his King. It is insufficient merely to do mitzvot. Man's first obligation is to gain a proper perspective of mitzvot by acknowledging God, the King of the universe, to be his personal Ruler. In this, the mitzvah is recognized for what it is: a fulfillment of his Master's Will, a response to the command of the Supreme Commander, a means of communion with his Maker, an act incapable of being fulfilled without love and reverence, and an act which is the self-evident responsibility of every Jew), to follow in His ways (this is a mitzvah which obligates man to perfect his character by imitating all the Attributes of God mentioned in the Torah.

Attributes the Almighty employs to run the world. In the words of our sages, "Just as He is merciful, you must be merciful; just as He shows loving-kindness, you must show loving-kindness...", and to observe His Statutes (chukim -- commands, the reason for which are not immediately apparent, e.g., the prohibition against wearing a garment made of wool and linen), His Commandments (mitzvoth -- commands which require a great deal of effort and work to fulfill, e.g., offering the sacrifices [see the Malbim on this passage]. The word "mitzvah" may be used in many contexts. Here it is most commonly used as a general term referring to all the Divine Commands), and His Judgments (mishpatim -- commands based on the principals of justice, the reasons for which are comprehensible to all, e.g., the prohibition against murder. Nonetheless, even these commands must be observed only because they are Divine Obligations). As it says:

"You have this day acknowledged the Lord that He is your God, to walk in His ways, and to observe His Statues, His Commandments, and His Judgments." (Deut. 14:1)

Treasuring His ways, His Commandments, and His Judgments by fulfilling them -- this is all included in honoring His Name.

(Behold, when man honors the Almighty, the very fact that he merited honoring the God of the Heavens and the God of the Earth, the King of Eternal Glory, is for the man himself a tremendous honor. How happy is the individual who, upon the arrival of the king in his city, is one of those chosen to welcome him and to do him honor. Surely, then, man should be overcome with joy when he merits honoring the Creator of the universe, the Master of All Beings both on high and below! This is especially true since the reverence paid to the God of the Heavens during one's lifetime will be remembered for all eternity and will be repaid with glorious honors -- "Whoever honors Me will I honor," Samuel I 2:30.)

In our prayers we refer to God, the King of the universe, as Father, because of the passage, "Behold He is your Father, your Creator" (Deut. 32:6). How, then, can we remain silent when from day to day, because of our many sins, His Glorious Honor is profaned through the desecration of His Torah and His Commandments! If someone would slur the honor of a man's father to his face or even the honor of one of his children, he certainly would not remain silent. His mouth would flame out at his detractor. How, then, can we remain silent when the Master of All, the King of the world, the Creator of our souls, our Eternal Father, is being humiliated?

"If I be a Father where is My respect?" (Malachi 1:6)

I know that everyone thinks, what can I do? Do I have the power to stop those who desecrate the Torah? Surely they will not listen to me because they are wicked and treacherous. In reality, however, this is no excuse, for even we have no intentions of healing those dead who have already perished, those who embody no drop of faith in Torah. We must, however, strengthen those weak souls who have remained. We cannot allow them to take sick because of the seductions of the Torah desecrators.

Our day can be likened to a time when a cholera epidemic, God forbid, plagues the world. The cure is to rub the body vigorously in order to stimulate its remaining bit of life and in this way bring it back to health. But who is given this treatment? Only someone who still has some warmth within. One who is completely cold is at once forsaken and left to go to his eternal rest. Yet this is the situation that now exists. Because of our many sins, the world is now plagued with a spirit of disbelief and atheism and whoever absorbs this evil spirit cannot be helped with any treatments. Concerning him King Solomon has said, "Whoever comes to her shall not return" (Proverbs 2:19). For whom then shall we work? For the one who has as yet not absorbed this spirit of iniquity because he too must strengthen his trampled spirit against the foul air. As the great physicians say, when a plague, God forbid, attacks the world, everyone is weakened by the harmful air and must be strengthened.

On the passage, "And He saw that there was no man, and He was astounded that there was no intercessor; therefore His arm brought Him aid" (Isaiah 59:16), our sages comment: "This alludes to the time when the Ark of God was taken captive in the field of the Philistines. Finally the Hand of God bore down so heavily upon them that they were forced to return it. The Almighty then said [to Israel[, ?If a chicken owned by one of you had run away, how many streets would you have searched to find it, yet when the Ark of My Covenant is in the field of the Philistines, it does not bother you!' ? ?And His arm brought Him aid.' "

We can ask the same question: How many plans would one devise to prevent disaster if something were to happen in the community that was apt to ruin his own business!

Therefore, when we see, because of our many sins, the increase in wrongdoers who seek to destroy our sacred Torah ? the very life of our souls for all eternity ? by spreading profane books [sifrei chitzonim] at every turn we are, at the very least, obligated to strengthen our sacred Torah in every city by stimulating more Torah study among the learned laymen, the children, and the multitudes. However, if we refrain from this and keep silent, we demonstrate how indifferent we are to His honor, God forbid, and there is no end to this disgrace.

Moreover, everyone must remember that the Almighty governs mankind with the principle of measure for measure. Therefore, when one's soul will eventually come before the Throne of Glory and seek to be honored in the presence of the heavenly hosts, what will he answer if the Lord asks him, "Why were you indifferent to My honor and the honor of My Torah, which was profaned before your very eyes (when they said, "How have we profited by keeping His commands and by walking humbly before God" -- Malachi 3:14)!" Behold it is an open passage, "Those who honor Me will I honor and those who belittle Me will be made light of" (Samuel I 2:30).

And this, too, man should know: when one admonishes another and encourages him to fulfill his obligation to do some virtuous deed, he himself must at least do the same. But every day we alert the nations of the earth and say:

"Ascribe to God you families of nations, ascribe to God honor and strength. Tremble before him ye earth, He established the world that it should not falter." (Chronicles I 16:28-30)

Meaning, that it is surely appropriate for them to honor His Name. Accordingly, how much more is it incumbent and obligatory upon us, the Jewish people, to constantly glorify His Name! However, if, God forbid, man forgets his own obligation, how can he daily call upon others to remember theirs?

One is considered honoring God when he openly displays his love for God's Torah and His mitzvot and alerts others to fulfill them as well.