In the Book of Leviticus 19:18 God has commanded us:
" לֹא-תִקֹּם וְלֹא-תִטֹּר אֶת-בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ, וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ: אֲנִי, יְהוָה."
"Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD."
We all understand the meaning of this sentence but I feel that we can't wonder if it is really possible to love someone else as you love yourself?
The answer to this question can be found in the writings of several Hebrew sages.
Rabbi Akiva states that" to love your fellow as yourself" is one of the greatest Mitzvah (commandment) in the Torah.
According to Rambam, one must love another in the same manner as a person loves himself.
Hezekiah Ben Manoah, known as Hizkuni, was a French rabbi who lived in the 13th century. He contends that loving another connotes what one would like for oneself if faced with a situation similar to that confronting another individual. Hizzekuni says that if a friend is ill then his fellow should pray that the friend receive such a blessing.
Rabbi Jacob been Asher, known as Baal Ha-Turim, writes in his main work the Arba'ah Turim that "Love your fellow as yourself" is intended to make us keenly sensitive to another's feelings. For example, during sexual intercourse with one's wife, a man should not be thinking of another woman.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel, the third Rabbi of Lubavitch, explains that the Torah is not delineating the amount of love one must have for every Jew.
And what do you think about it? Is it a reasonable demand?...
Main phrases of the post + transcription + translation
Hebrew Transcription Translation
אָהַב 'āhab Loved
דְּרִישָׁה derîšāh Demand
רְגִישׁוּת regîšût Sensitivity
אַחְרָיוּת 'ahrāyût Responsibility
תֵּאֵר Tē'ēr Delineate
כְּמוֹ kemô Like

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