Love in Two Dimensions

Love in Two Dimensions

“…You should love your fellow as yourself…” – Vayikra 19:18 וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ – ויקרא יט, יח There are two well-known sayings of the Sages regarding the mitzvah to love your fellow Jew. Rabbi Akiva said, “You shall love your fellow as yourself” — This is a fundamental principle of the Torah” (Sifra, Vayikra 19:18). Meaning, that this mitzvah is the […]

May 5, 2017 at 10:05 AM 0 comments

The Power of Judging Favorably

The Power of Judging Favorably

“…You shall judge your fellow with righteousness…” – Vayikra 19:15 בְּצֶדֶק תִּשְׁפֹּט עֲמִיתֶךָ – ויקרא יט, טו This verse commands us to judge people justly and righteously. In addition, Rashi suggests that this verse can be interpreted (not in the legal sense, but) as instructing us, “Judge your friend toward the scale of merit,” meaning, to judge other people favorably. Generally, […]

May 4, 2017 at 9:18 AM 0 comments

Kiruv 101

Kiruv 101

“…Speak to the entire congregation of Bnei Yisrael, and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I, Hashem your G-d, am holy’…” – Vayikra 19:2 דַּבֵּר אֶל כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם קְדשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי ה’ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם – ויקרא יט, ב Rashi notes that G-d instructed Moshe to teach this passage to “the entire congregation of […]

May 3, 2017 at 2:15 AM 0 comments

Love on Demand

Love on Demand

“…You should love your fellow as yourself…” – Vayikra 19:18 וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ – ויקרא יט, יח The Torah’s command to love your fellow man—and to the same degree that you love yourself—raises a number of difficulties. How can we be “commanded” to experience an emotion, in this case, to love our fellow like ourselves? The average person can choose how […]

May 12, 2016 at 5:38 PM 0 comments

Knowing Means Doing

Knowing Means Doing

“…You shall not stand by the blood of your fellow…” – Vayikra 19:16 לֹא תַעֲמֹד עַל דַּם רֵעֶךָ – ויקרא יט, טז The Baal Shem Tov taught that from everything that a Jew sees or hears he must take a lesson in his service of G-d. This teaching finds its roots in the words of the Talmud, “Of all that […]

May 11, 2016 at 2:27 AM 0 comments

You Can Be Holy

You Can Be Holy

“…Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, “you shall be holy”…” – Vayikra 19:2 דַּבֵּר אֶל כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם קְדשִׁים תִּהְיוּ – ויקרא יט, ב In Parshas Kedoshim, G-d tells Moshe to address the entire congregation of Bnei Yisrael, and instruct them “to be holy.” The commentaries ask, what is the meaning […]

May 9, 2016 at 6:56 PM 0 comments