Moses said, "v'atoh Yisroel mah Hashem elokecha sho'el mei'imach, key im l'yirah es Hashem elokecha, loleches bechol derachav u'l'ahava Oso v'la'avod es Hashem elokecha b'chol levavcha u'b'chol nafshecha - What does Hashem ask of you, only to be in awe of Hashem, to go in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve Hashem with all your heart and with all your soul" (Devarim 10:12). This verse establishes yiras Hashem (awe of Hashem) and ahavas Hashem (love of Hashem) as the fundamentals of Yiddishkeit.
After stating this, Rambam asks, "v'heach hi haderech l'ahavaso v'yiraso? B'sha'ah she'yisbonein ha'adam b'ma'asav u'beruav haniflaim hagedolim v'yireh meihem chochmaso she'ein loh erech v'lo keitz, meyad hu oheiv... - How are yiras Hashem and ahavas Hashem to be achieved? When a person contemplates the wonders of Hashem's creations, one is immediately moved to love and awe of Hashem" (Hilchos Yesodei Hatorah 2:2). Rambam is apparently addressing the question, how can a person be commanded to love? One cannot generate an emotion at will.
The commentary (Peirush) on Rambam explains that Rambam is redefining ahava to mean not only love, as that of a parent to a child or between spouses, but ahava can also mean "adoration." Awareness of the marvels of creation leads to adoration of Hashem.
But when do we implement Rambam's dictum? When do we teach our children about the marvels of creation that will bring about the requisite yiras Hashem and ahavas Hashem, both of which are prerequisites to study and observance of Torah?
The reciting of Shema is a mitzvah d'Oraysa - Biblical commandment, and should be preceded by a beracha just as tefillin and tzitzis are. Yet, we do not recite a beracha, "Who has commanded us to recite the Shema." Rather the first beracha is an appreciation of nature. "Mah gadlu ma'asecha Hashem, kulam b'chochmo asisa, mal'a ha'aretz kinyanecha - How great are your works, Hashem, You made them all with wisdom, the world is full of Your possessions." It is evident that the sages emphasized the appreciation of Hashem's marvelous creations as the introductory beracha to the Shema, which is the declaration of yiras Hashem and ahavas Hashem.
Dovid Hamelech says, "Hashomayim mesaprim k'vod Keil - The heavens declare the glory of Hashem," (Tehillim 19) and after several pesukim of testimony to the wonders of creation, abruptly switches to "Toras Hashem Temima - The Torah of Hashem is perfect." This leaves no doubt to the importance of appreciation of Hashem's creations as a precursor to Torah.
There are some youngsters who have difficulty grasping Talmud, and when they find themselves unable to understand the first shiur, they may despair of succeeding in understanding Talmud. Perhaps if the first shiur of the day was in appreciation of the wonders of Hashem's creation, their interest would be stimulated and they would be encouraged to learn.
There is a precedent to this. The Talmud says that before Rabbah began teaching Torah, he would tell the students something cheerful to put then in an upbeat mood, and only thereafter would he lecture on the intricacies of Torah (Shabbos 93a).
If yeshivos would follow Rabbah's practice, and make the first shiur of the day an exposition on the wonders of creation, they would be implementing Rambam's teaching on the fundamentals of yiras Hashem and ahavas Hashem and setting a mood in which all students could participate.