When a thief is poised to steal, he calls out to God in prayer so that God should assist him in his thievery.
This means to say that when there is a disconnect between the mind and the heart, a person can contain two opposites
within himself, in that he “knows of his Creator and intentionally rebels against Him” (see Rashi, Lev.
26:14).
He recognizes God’s existence intellectually, but this awareness does not permeate any further.
It does not generate within him any emotional experience, neither love nor hate, nor does it impel him to do something or to sacrifice himself for it.
As a result, simultaneous with his being aware of his Creator, he is also able to rebel against Him.
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz