Updates

Where is Moshiach? In Sodom

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:32:49 +0000

The theme, in this week’s Torah portion, the destruction of the wicked cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, is simple enough: These two cities were destroyed due to the exceptional cruelty of their citizens. The classical story of corruption and its consequences.

But is this the entire story?

Upon reading the elaborate details of the narrative – the way G-d debates whether to reveal His plans to Abraham; the Divine “descent” to confirm the wickedness of Sodom; dispatching an angel to destroy the city; the extensive efforts exerted to save Lot, in the merit of his uncle Abraham; Abraham’s intervention, pleading to save Sodom – it is quite apparent that there is much more going on than just the demise of another corrupt city.

And what exactly was Sodom’s terrible crime, causing an “outcry…so great, and their sin so very grave,” that led to them being singled out for such unprecedented destruction? Was there no other corrupt city in history that deserved punishment?

There is an inexplicable Midrash that only accentuates the mystery of Sodom: “It is written I found my servant David. Where did God find him? In Sodom”!! (Bereishit Rabbah 41:4; 50:10).

True, the Midrash explains that Lot and his daughters are the ancestors of David: Ruth the Moabite and Na'amah the Amonite, whose progenitors were Lot’s two daughters, which means in effect that David originated from forbearers who lived for a while in Sodom. But, what is the point of emphasizing this seemingly irrelevant, and even demeaning, detail?! David was not born in Sodom and never lived in Sodom (which was destroyed long before he was born). What is the Midrash trying to tell us, and why is it important to know that G-d found David, of all places in… Sodom?!

Finally, and above all: Every detail in Torah is meant to be a relevant guide for our lives. What lesson do we learn from Sodom’s destruction today? Why is it important for us to know all the fine particulars of the story?

Looking closer at the Torah’s account we find that the Sodom story actually begins earlier, in last week’s portion. There we learn about Abraham’s long trek to Canaan – what would become the Promised Land of Israel – together with his wife Sarah (still named Sarai at the time), his nephew Lot, all their belongings and “all the souls that they had made” [brought closer to G-d]. The verse then tells us how a feud broke out between the herdsmen of Abraham’s and Lot’s flocks. Abraham suggests to his nephew, “Let us not feud…for we are brothers after all. If you [go to] the left, I will go to the right; if to the right, I will take the left. Lot looked up and saw that the entire Jordan Plain, all the way to Tzoar had plenty of water. (This was before G-d destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) It was like G-d's own garden.” Lot thus chose to go East and settle in the Plain and he “migrated as far as Sodom.”

The Torah then adds “But the people of Sodom were very wicked, and they sinned against G-d.” – Here is the first time Sodom is mentioned.

The story continues: War broke out between the “four kings against the five,” the five including Sodom and Gomorrah, in the Siddim Valley (now the Dead Sea). The four kings were victorious and seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as capturing Abraham’s nephew Lot, who was living in Sodom.

When Abraham hears that his nephew was taken captive, he pursues the four kings and successfully attacks and recovers all the goods, as well as Lot and the people. The story concludes with the King of Sodom asking Abraham: “Give me the souls. You can take the goods.” And Abraham replied that he does not want the goods: “Not a thread nor a shoelace! I will not take anything that is yours! You should not be able to say, ‘It was I who made Abram rich.’”

The Torah, above all, is not a story or history book; it is the Divine blueprint of existence and a spiritual guide for our lives. What part of the cosmic order is mapped out by this intricate story Lot’s capture and release, the war with Sodom and Abraham’s involvement?

In a masterful and eloquent fashion, the great 16^th century scholar and mystic, Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz, known as the Shaloh (1565-1630), explains the inside story beginning with a fundamental question:

Abraham’s journey to Israel was essentially a spiritual ascent to new Divine heights. Why then did he associate himself and took along the wicked Lot in this journey?! [As we see above, that Lot could not coexist peacefully with Abraham, and the Torah emphasizes more than once how he “separated” from Abraham and only then did G-d reveal Himself and spoke to Abraham about the Promised Land].

The Shaloh cites the answer of the Zohar (I 79a): What did Abraham see that caused him to bond with Lot? He foresaw with Ruach Hakodesh that Lot would merit to be the forbearer of David” (Lot’s daughter would give birth to Moab, the ancestor of Ruth, grandmother of David).

But this, says the Shaloh, requires explanation: What connection does David have to our present story?

Quoting the Ramban (Nachmanides), the Shaloh explains that “Know this fundamental principle: All the journeys and events that happened with the Patriarchs [Abraham, Isaac and Jacob] come to teach us about the future…they were shown what would happen to their descendants. For this reason the Torah documents in detail the experiences that transpired with the Patriarchs. No one should think that these are superfluous details; they actually pave the way and map out all the future events that would transpire with their children throughout history. There is nothing that happened to Abraham that would later not occur with his children (Ramban Lech Lecho 12:6).

The same is true with Abraham’s battling the four kings to free Lot and the goods they captured: “This story happened with Abraham to foretell and show us that there would rise four major empires – Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman (represented by the four kings) – that would dominate history. But the end would be that his [Abraham’s] children would prevail over the empires. They would all fall and the children would end up redeeming all the possessions and hostages they had taken captive.

As we see, a bit further in the story, how G-d makes His covenant with Abraham, telling him “Know for sure that your descendants will foreigners in a land that is not theirs for 400 years. They will be enslaved and oppressed. But I will finally bring judgment against the nation who enslaves them, and they will then leave with great wealth.” And this transpires “as the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and a deep dark dread fell upon him.” The “deep dark dread” that befell Abraham resulted from the vision shown to Abraham of the future powerful empires that would control and terrorize the world, each in their own way: the Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman (and Ishmaelite) empires.

The great 15^th century Kabbalist, Rabbi Isaac Luria (known as the holy Arizal) explains that these empires – that extend over the entire span of history – represent the different stages of refinement (birur) that we achieve throughout the generations. Everything in our material existence contains Divine ‘sparks,’ i.e. spiritual energy, and we are charged with the mission to redeem and elevate these sparks, and thereby refine the material universe and transform it into its true purpose: a vehicle for spiritual expression.

Beginning with the enslavement by the Egyptian empire – the archetype and root (‘head’) of all the exiles and empires – each subsequent empire symbolizes another stage of refinement in integrating G-dliness into the material world. The process concludes with the refinement of the last two powers, Edom (Esau) and Ishmael, which leads to the Messianic age – a world where there will be no more destruction and terror and all children of Abraham serve the One G-d of Abraham in peace and harmony (see Abraham’s Vision).

This, the Shaloh explains, is the meaning of the Zohar’s brief words that Abraham bonded with Lot because he foresaw “that Lot would merit to be the forbearer of David:”

Lot and his descent into wicked Sodom – and his being captured by the four kings – represents the captivity that each of us experiences as we are taken hostage (physically and/or, even worse, psychologically) by the “empires” around us and the powerful tentacles of material existence, which want to crush our hope in building a better world and bringing spiritual redemption to the world.

But the purpose of this captivity is for us to prevail over the dominant forces of existence and redeem the “great wealth,” the powerful Divine sparks that lay trapped and embedded in the material universe, with the ultimate redemption led by Moshiach son of David, descendant of Lot.

Abraham knew that the stakes were high: Through freeing Lot from the hands of the kings, and then again when he was saved by the angel from Sodom’s destruction, Abraham’s children were empowered through the ages to free the different shapes of “Lot” trapped in the various manifestations of “Sodom” that would crop up in each generation. And by doing so, we give birth to the redemption (David).

Abraham knew that in the throes and abyss of “Sodom” laid great power, and when redeemed, “Sodom” would yield an enormous spiritual bounty. Thus, Abraham immediately laid everything on the line to free Lot from captivity. Abraham also attempted to save the entire city. At the time that was not meant to be; the city was simply too corrupt. But in the end of days, Ezekiel (16:55) tells us "Sodom with her daughters will return to their former state,” meaning the spiritual energy redeemed from Sodom – Moshiach ben Dovid.

This is the meaning of the Midrash cited above, “where did God find him [David]? In Sodom,” referring to Moshiach son of David. When the angels come to save Lot and his family from Sodom, they used a strange expression: “Take your wife and two daughters who are found here.” The word “found” (nimzoas) is superfluous and cryptic. Explains the Midrash that “found” implies something lost. The expression “found” is also used regarding David, “I found David my servant,” referring to Moshiach (from the House of David), who will be “found” in a strange place, as if he came out of nowhere. According to the Midrash, the verse “take your wife and two daughters who are found here” is referring to two important discoveries: Ruth the Moabite and Na'amah the Amonite, whose ancestors were Lot’s two daughters. These two daughters would be the progenitors of David and Moshiach. Thus, “the two daughters who are found here” is telling us that in the darkness of Sodom there is to be “found” – unexpectedly – Moshiach from the House of David (see also Talmud Yevamot 63a. 77a. Zohar I 110b).

How is this to be translated into our own lives?

Sodom’s grave sin was their perverted philosophy of life. The various crimes of Sodom are documented: The very name Sodom carries multiple connotations of a culture of inhospitality and moral indifference that degenerated into social oppression. Cruelty to each other and to strangers. Obsession not to help one another. Sexual depravity. But these are all symptoms. Beneath it all lay a fundamental offense – which is the root of all crimes and which underscores Sodom’s unique form of corruption that causes them to be singled out in the Torah.

In various places in the Talmud we find the expression “coerce them [not to behave] with the characteristic of Sodom.” That cruel characteristic is depriving someone of benefit even when you have nothing to lose. “Zeh nehneh v’zeh lo chosor.”

In Ethics of Our Fathers, the Mishne (Avot 5:3) brings two opinions: One who says ‘what is mine is mine, what is yours is yours’ – is an average quality. The second opinion states that this is “midas (the quality of) Sodom.” The Tzemach Tzedek explains the two opinions: Opinion one holds that a Sodom characteristic is only when you deny another a benefit though you lose nothing (as the Talmud states). But if you have something to lose, even just a bit, it is not optimal behavior, but neither can we characterize you as Sodom. Thus, one who declares ‘what is mine is mine, what is yours is yours’ (in order not to incur a loss) is merely an average quality (not good not bad).

The second opinion, however, maintains that even if you have something to lose, the mere statement ‘what is mine is mine, what is yours is yours’ undermines the basic infrastructure of existence – a symbiotic relationship between a countless amount of diverse forces and systems.

If every aspect of nature and ecosystem, or every cell and faculty in our own bodies, would take on the attitude of ‘what is mine is mine, what is yours is yours’ – we would be left, G-d forbid, with utter annihilation. This is the psychological manifestation of Sodom – which led to its total demise.

Similarly, the lifeline of every community, state or country, and every economy or other system – especially in the increasingly shrinking global village of our world today – is dependent on the “give and take” of different strengths and contributions, all complementing each other in a mosaic-like symmetry. The antithesis of ‘what is mine is mine, what is yours is yours.’

Sodom-like isolationism lies at the heart and root of all other Sodom’s sins. The destruction of Sodom is, in a way, more a result from the ‘what is mine is mine, what is yours is yours’ attitude than from their outright criminal behavior.

Abraham represents ultimate unity – harmony of diverse forces. Sodom – and the hostages it took (represented by Lot) – symbolizes utter compartmentalization. Yet within the darkness of Sodom “David” can be found. And that is what Abraham was after.

We too, today, live in a world where he have both options. The spiritually displaced state called “exile” is a result of divisiveness (baseless hatred, sinas chinam). The divisiveness manifests in interpersonal relationships, but it always begins with an intrapersonal (an inner) dissonance.

Abraham’s encounter with Sodom teaches and empowers us to access the pioneering spirit “Abraham” within each of us and fight the urge of ‘what is mine is mine, what is yours is yours,’ and definitely the one that refuses to allow another to gain even when we have nothing to lose.

The “Abraham” within also gives us the power to “find” the “David-like” gems embedded in “Lot” within ourselves and within others.

And finally, prepare the way to discover personal and global redemption in, of all places, Sodom.

Reprinted with permission from MeaningfulLife.com

What Will Change When Moshiach Comes?

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:24:34 +0000

In our prayers, we ask for the coming of Mashiach and the advent of the Redemption more than 100 times every day. But what are we asking for? When Jews were persecuted, oppressed, and slaughtered, it was understandable why they prayed for the Redemption. But today, why do we seek the Redemption? What will change?

The reply to these questions is not an emphasis on what is wrong with the present, but on the potential for an infinitely greater right in the future. At present, we are living in a world in which our awareness of spiritual truth is muffled by material pressures. What concerns us on a day-to-day basis are questions of finances, health, and personal advancement. Each of us is challenged by a host of concerns — at home, in the workplace, and in our society at large — that make it difficult to listen to the voice of humanity, let alone the voice of Divinity, that we each possess.

With Mashiach’s coming, this will change. We will able to focus on our true priorities, on living a life of depth, meaning, and purpose. Our environment will foster such an approach, rather than making it a challenge.

This does not involve a renunciation of worldly experience, but a redirection to the true intent for which it exists. In the Era of the Redemption, “there will be neither famine, nor war, neither envy, nor competition, for good things will flow in abundance, and all delights will be [freely available] like dust.” We will not, however, by absorbed by these matters. Instead, we will be in control of, rather than controlled by, our environment, and “the occupation of the entire world will be to know G‑d.” Moreover, our knowledge of G‑d will not be otherworldly, but down here. We will be able to appreciate the spiritual truth that permeates every element of our existence.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe pointed out that the Redemption is not a dream of the distant future, but rather a reality that is becoming more and more present tense every moment. Moreover, he repeatedly emphasized that we have the potential to anticipate the Redemption and experience a foretaste of the knowledge, love, and oneness which will characterize that era in our lives today.

This in turn will bring the future into the present, for the coming of the Redemption will be hastened by the efforts of those who bring its spirit into their lives today.

When Will Mashiach Come?

The date of Mashiach’s coming has never been openly revealed by the prophets. Throughout the ages, many of the leading sages have given predictions of Mashiach’s coming, but none of these predictions have been fulfilled. The Talmud discourages such supposition, explaining that the matter is hidden and not to be revealed.

On the other hand, the Talmud does speak about times when Mashiach will come. For example, once the sage Yehoshua Ben Levy encountered Mashiach and asked him when he was coming. Mashiach answered: “Today.” When Mashiach did not come, Rabbi Yehoshua was disillusioned until Elijah the prophet explained that Mashiach was referring to the verse, “Today if you listen to My voice,” i.e., Mashiach’s coming is dependent on our heeding G‑d’s will.

Similarly, the Talmud says that Mashiach will come when all the souls which are intended to descend to the material plane are born. In another source, it is written that charity hastens the coming of Mashiach.

In the same vein, it is explained that the Baal Shem Tov once encountered Mashiach and asked him when he was coming. Mashiach answered: “When the wellsprings of your teachings spread outward.”

From these narratives, it appears that Mashiach’s coming is not dependent on a particular date, but rather on the achievement of certain spiritual objectives within the world. To clarify: The prophet Isaiah said that the redemption will come “in its time, I will hasten it.” This implies that there is a fixed time for the coming of the Redemption. Nevertheless, the spiritual service of the Jewish people in following G‑d’s will, bearing children, giving charity, spreading mystic truth, and other virtuous acts can hasten the time when Mashiach will come, bringing him before that appointed time.

* * *

There is a forward looking orientation to the above concepts. For while, in our present mindset, we may believe that G‑dliness permeates every element of worldly existence, at best, we will gain merely an intellectual awareness of that concept. It will not be perceived overtly as actual fact.

In the era of the Redemption, this will change. In that age, mankind as a whole will have a direct experience of G‑d.. As the prophet declares: “No longer will one man teach his fellow... saying: ‘Know G‑d,’ for they will all know Me, from the great to the small.”

In that era, “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of G‑d, as the waters cover the ocean bed.” Implied by the simile is that just as the ocean contains a multitude of beings, so, too, in the era of the Redemption, all entities will continue to exist. However, just as when a person looks at the ocean and sees the water he does not notice all the different beings it contains, so, too, in the era of the Redemption, when we will look at the world in which we live we will appreciate the G‑dliness that encompasses all existence. Every entity will be subsumed in the consciousness of His presence.

* * *

These concepts apply with regard to the Jewish people as a whole. The question is often asked: Why are we expecting Mashiach to come in the present era? Shouldn’t he have come earlier in our spiritual history when our nation was on a more refined and elevated level?

The resolution to this question is interrelated to the above concepts. The goal of Mashiach is to bring the entire world, even the lowest levels to the appreciation of spiritual truth. “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of G‑d as the waters cover the ocean bed,” i.e., the awareness of G‑d will encompass every element of existence.

In preparation, it is necessary that every element of existence, even the lowest, be permeated with the knowledge of G‑d. Moreover, since, as explained previously, the deepest and most powerful sparks of G‑dliness are found in the lowest levels, it is refining these lower levels that will provide the catalyst to actually bring Mashiach.

* * *

The number eight is significant in Torah numerology. Seven reflects the natural order and eight, G‑d’s infinity as it transcends nature. It is, however, emphasized that eight is seven plus one, i.e., G‑d’s transcendent oneness permeates the seven qualities of the natural order. For the Jewish concept of transcendence is not other-worldly, forgetting about our material existence. Instead, the concept is to fuse one with seven to have G‑d’s transcendence reflected in every dimension of our material existence.

This concept relates to the coming of Mashiach, for גאולה, “redemption,” shares the same letters as גולה, “exile,” except that there is an alef "א", standing for G‑d’s infinity in the word for redemption. For the concept of redemption is not to nullify the world as it existed beforehand, but to infuse G‑d’s infinity within it.

This is alluded to by the fact that the harp to be played in the Temple in the era of Mashiach will be of eight strands. In the previous eras, the Temple’s harp had only seven strands, for the world had not reached beyond the limits of nature. In the era of Mashiach, however, those restraints will be overcome and G‑d’s transcendence will be revealed.

Hey, That's Impossible!

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:32:57 +0000

Last week I read an article rated highly on digg.com. The article contained a long list of important inventions that were scorned by esteemed individuals, only for the product to become a raging success within decades.

University of Chicago astronomer Dr. F. R. Moulton said in 1932, “There is no hope for the fanciful idea of reaching the Moon because of insurmountable barriers to escaping the earth’s gravity.” A British mathematician and physicist Lord Kelvin (1824-1907) declared “Heavier-than-air flying machines are And here’s an internal memo from Western Union in 1878, “This `telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a practical form of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” And here's one more jem from Pierre Pachet, rofessor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872, "Louis Pasteur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction."

Amusing, no?

I anticipate that when Moshiach comes similar articles will float around the World Wide Web of G-dly knowledge updated with quotes of individuals who thought Moshiach is impossible. Moshiach may sound more than a little bizarre today, but we’ve already witnessed how drastically things can change.

We have reached the limits of what is possible with computers.
- John Von Neumann, 1949

I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.
- Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.

The Americans have need of the telephone, but we do not. We have plenty of messenger boys.
- Sir William Preece, chief engineer of the British Post Office, 1876.

Exodus and Redemption - 'Some Say the World Will End in Fire, Some Say in Ice'

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 09:58:58 +0000

The Exodus from Egypt was apocalyptic, not only because of the supernatural events that took place during its unfolding, but also because it sparked an extremely significant change within a relatively short amount of time - and without any warning or preparation. It is true that the events recounted in the Book of Exodus did occur over the course of a few months, but when we think about the amazing transformation that the People of Israel underwent as a result - from a loosely related ethnic group of slaves to a new nation - the redemption from Egypt does indeed seem very sudden and surprising.

While Passover is the festival of redemption, the Exodus from Egypt is commemorated on each of the Biblical festivals and all through the year. Even events in Jewish history as important as the re-establishment of sovereignty in Israel during the Second Temple era are not considered to be equal to the Exodus. Our Sages teach that only the Final Redemption will be able to overshadow its significance.

The Exodus has also become a prototype of redemption for all nations of the world, a model against which other redemptions are measured and assessed. The coming of the Messiah is a momentous event - not only for the Jewish people, but for the entire world. It is not simply a matter of national deliverance, nor even of a Jewish renaissance, but of an intrinsic change in world history. In a certain way, the Final Redemption, as its name implies, marks the "end of history," or, at least, the end of history as it has been for the last several millennia.

We know from Biblical prophecies and from the Talmud that there are two possible scenarios for the Final Redemption. The difference between them lies in a fundamental question: will it be a revolutionary event, or an evolutionary one? The first redemption, the Exodus from Egypt, was a whirlwind of supernatural events, a total revolution. Indeed, many descriptions of the Final Redemption - in Jewish and non-Jewish sources alike - depict the final redemption in a similar way. For example, in this approach, "the great and terrible day of the Lord" (Malachi 3:23) is a universal earthquake which begins with "darkness, not light" (Amos 5:18) and involves colossal wars between "the children of light and the children of darkness." Like the Exodus, the Final Redemption is, so to speak, a Divine tour de force vis-à-vis the world. When God wills it, all of reality will be torn to shreds, and the new day will shine, as was the case in the Exodus from Egypt - out of "blood and fire and pillars of smoke" (Joel 3:3).

The alternative scenario of redemption is an evolutionary one and is based on human progress - whether slow or fast - toward a higher state of existence: "For you shall not go out in haste, neither shall you go by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will follow you behind" (Isaiah 52:12); or, in other words, "in sitting still and rest will you be saved" (Ibid., 30:15). While the Exodus from Egypt contained an element of flight, this redemption will be a slow, smooth process and, despite the enormous differences between the present and the future, it will still be possible to discern the steps that paved the way for the redemption. Even the Biblical metaphor that likens redemption to birth - a dramatic event with a clearly defined "before" and "after" - presupposes the long pregnancy that came before it.

The difference between these two diametrically opposed scenarios can be explained by the somewhat enigmatic Talmudic saying: "The son of David [the Messiah; in other words, the final redemption] will come only in a generation that is either altogether righteous or altogether wicked" (Tractate Sanhedrin 98a). Redemption for an "altogether righteous" generation is preceded by years of preparation in which people work to better themselves. This kind of redemption is just the finale of an evolutionary process. On the other hand, the redemption of an "altogether wicked" generation cannot possibly be an extended, slow process, because such people, by their very nature, make no preparations for it. Therefore it must entail a revolutionary outburst, which, in this case, is not a grass-roots effort but a Divine one. As such, it must shatter the old patterns of existence - a painful, even tragic event.

The future redemption is, in many ways, the continuation and completion of the Exodus. We know from the Book of Exodus (12:29) that the redemption from Egypt occurred at midnight; the end of the Passover Haggadah includes references to the future redemption as the second half of this night of deliverance. This is not only solace and encouragement in the face of our present trials and tribulations; it is also a logical sequence.

The Exodus, then, is a comma in the manuscript of world history, whereas the final redemption is a full stop. But what shape the final redemption will assume depends, to a great extent, on us as human beings. Through the totality of our actions, we will determine whether we are an "altogether wicked" or "altogether righteous" generation and, consequently, if we can expect "blood and fire and pillars of smoke" or salvation through "sitting still and rest."

Reprinted from The Aleph Society

The Ultimate Mitzvah - Loving Your Fellow Jew

Thu, 25 May 2006 19:47:43 +0000

The emotion of love has been the subject of poets and romantics for centuries. We need not enter into any analysis of that topic, but, as it relates to loving a fellow Jew, some kind of specific definition is obviously necessary.

There are 613 mitzvos in the Torah. One is to feel the hunger of the poor, and therefore to give charity. Another is to feel the discomfort of a stranger, and therefore to show him hospitality. Not to be cruel, even to an animal, is another mitzvah. These commandments, though differing in their details are basically all expressions of concern, compassion and love. But the commandment of "Ahavas Yisroel" -- to love your fellow Jew -- seems to imply something beyond the above mentioned mitzvos. Because all of those are commandments relating to a specific act. What does the commandment to love a fellow Jew add to the commandments to be kind, generous, and compassionate? It adds the emphasis of loving EVERY Jew, and that the love itself is a mitzvah.

The Alter Rebbe, the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, said that to love another person means to find something in the other person that is similar to something in oneself. There are those parts of our lives and our existence that give us our individuality. These are the things that make each person different from another. And there are times when we must focus on our particular responsibility, our particular message in life. But the mitzvah of loving your fellow means being able to focus on those things that, rather than separating us, actually make us one. Once we discover that one thing which is universal to us all, we are in a position to love our fellow.

"A Jew who sins and violates his Jewishness remains a Jew," says the Torah. A Jew is not created out of virtue. One doesn’t become a Jew by doing mitzvos or good deeds. Faults, sins and misconduct do not stop one from being a Jew. A Jew remains a Jew no matter what. And, on the other hand, no matter how much good a Jew does, he remains a Jew (and not an angel). We see then that the state of being Jewish precedes any choices we are going to make. Long before we decide to put on tefillin, keep kosher, keep Shabbos or go to the mikvah, we are already Jewish. No matter what decisions we come to later in life, our Jewishness doesn’t change, and it is not diminished.

What all Jews have in common is the part of G-d that He breathes into each person, the neshama (soul). Appreciating one’s neshama allows a person to open himself up to every neshama in the world; this appreciation is a giant step toward loving every Jew. Because G-d has placed a part of Himself in every Jew, we are capable of loving every Jew. That which makes one person Jewish is exactly the same as that which makes every other Jew Jewish. If one loves that part of himself, then for the same reason he can love every other Jew. That is enough to make one person’s heart miss a beat because of something that is happening to another.

The Alter Rebbe wrote that one’s view of another person depends on how we see ourselves. If what is emphasized makes one different -- namely, the human, physical condition -- then one is incapable of loving. Not only can’t he love every Jew, he can’t love anybody. Because the most important thing to him is what makes him different, that which separates him from everybody. Focusing on differences separates people. The only way to be capable of loving is by making unimportant those things that make one different and separate. What must be primary is that which is shared with everybody else -- the neshama, the soul.

In a similar vein:

Chassidus teaches that when a person has a problem in his spiritual growth and development, he should discuss it with someone else. He and the other person sit together and discuss a G-dly problem, so there are two G-dly souls against one animal soul (the animating force of the body) -- the cause of the problem. At first glance this is difficult to comprehend. If you have two people, and therefore two G-dly souls, shouldn’t you also have two animal souls? How can we possibly assert that the G-dly souls outnumber the animal?

However, when two G-dly souls get together they cooperate on a project. Two animal souls do not cooperate. It’s against their nature to cooperate. An animal soul means a selfish soul. A selfish soul may want to sin, but it has no interest in helping anybody else sin. It gets no pleasure from anybody else’s sins. Therefore, one animal soul will not join another animal soul in its sinfulness. But, a G-dly soul is naturally concerned and sympathetic to another G-dly soul. That is the nature of G-dly souls. So if one’s animal being, human being, ego, is most important, then this person is separated from everybody else in the world. Nobody shares ego concerns, and if those are the things that are important to the person, then he’s all alone. Or, as the Alter Rebbe said, he is incapable of loving -- unless it’s for an ulterior motive. If, on the other hand, what is important is one’s Jewishness, that feeling opens the person up to every other Jew. When the soul which we all have in common, is emphasized, then we become one people, and it’s literally possible to love every Jew.

How do we go about loving every Jew? In practical terms it means seeing through the differences that seem to separate one Jew from another. One can see beyond differences in culture and language. When two Jews meet in an airport, some place in the middle of Europe, and one doesn’t speak Hebrew while the other doesn’t speak English, still there’s a feeling of kinship even though there’s no way to communicate. One thing which often does confuse us, and sets up a barrier between Jews, is degrees of observance. The person who considers himself perfectly righteous and holy might feel that he has nothing in common with one whom he considers to be a sinful person. The sinful person, or the unlearned person, might feel that he has nothing in common with the scholarly saint.

This difference between Jews is one that the Baal Shem Tov came to dispel in his teachings. The Baal Shem Tov taught two things. First, love your fellow Jew even if you’ve never seen him. You don’t have to share any experiences, you don’t have to share anything at all beyond the fact that you’re Jewish. That in itself should be enough to create a bridge and a bond between one Jew and another.

The second teaching is that you have to love the wicked along with the righteous. Since we love a Jew because he’s Jewish, not because he’s righteous, then we love the Jew who is wicked, as well. The Baal Shem Tov said that "Love your fellow Jew as you love yourself," means to love the righteous and the wicked. The Alter Rebbe explained this concept further by saying that when the Baal Shem Tov said "the righteous and the wicked," he didn’t mean that you certainly love the righteous, but you should also love the wicked along with the righteous. What he meant was that you love a Jew, period. You love your fellow Jew, and that’s all that needs to be said.

In practical terms, it means that you must relate to every Jew regardless of his behavior, personality, standing in society. But is that love? There is a connection that a fellow Jew feels for another Jew regardless of how the other person behaves. And no matter how strongly you disagree with the other’s behavior, you cannot dismiss that other person, because he’s your fellow Jew. To illustrate the point, you find that people who dress in the orthodox style, who happen to venture outside of their community, make other people very uncomfortable. But many people dress in very strange ways. You see Arabs of different religious orders in Israel who dress outlandishly. And yet, they walk up and down the streets of Jerusalem, and nobody pays any attention. But, should a Jew dressed in Chassidic garb, with a fur hat and long silk coat walk into a non-religious section, he gets angry stares. Why? Because he’s dressed funny! Why is his dress any more funny or strange than the dress of the Arab muhla. It’s not. It’s just that the Arab is a stranger, and therefore he can dress however he wants.

When a Jew dresses strangely then every Jew cares. Even though a fellow Jew doesn’t eat the same food or even act and believe the same, yet, if he dresses differently it makes us uncomfortable. Because he’s a fellow Jew and Jews are not strangers to each other. The true bedrock of loving a fellow Jew is that one Jew cannot disassociate himself from another, no matter how much he would like to.

A story in the Gemara about the great sage Hillel will help clarify the above point. A man came to Hillel and said that he wanted to be taught the whole Torah while standing on one foot. Hillel summed it all up for him by saying. "What is hateful to you, do not do to others. That is the whole Torah, the rest is commentary."

Hillel’s statement doesn’t appear anywhere in the Torah or Scriptures. The commentaries say that basically Hillel was referring to the mitzvah of "loving your fellow Jew as much as you love yourself." But, if that’s the mitzvah he was referring to, why didn’t he just say it? Why did Hillel make up this original statement? If a person is impatient, and needs to be told something quickly, then what is said should be something definitive. Hillel gave the man a very vague answer, which needed a great deal of thought before being put into practice.

The Tzemach Tzedek, the third Lubavitcher Rebbe, explained that what Hillel was really saying was very clearly defined and practical. A person can admit his own faults, and see them very clearly, and even talk about them publicly. Yet, if another person would point out those weaknesses, the first person would be insulted and very hurt. Why can one honestly admit to a fault within himself, yet that same person becomes offended when it is pointed out to him?

The difference is that when one sees his own faults it is within a certain context. Having assured himself of being a worthwhile creature, a person can proceed to search out his faults. Even talking about them to others doesn’t do any damage. But when somebody else sees the faults, it’s not necessarily within that framework of already knowing that the person is a worthwhile human being. We are concerned that any personality flaw suggests total insignificance. We fear criticism only because we’re afraid it might lead to rejection. Were it not for that, we would be very comfortable hearing and accepting criticism. We can’t honestly deny every criticism we hear; they’re all true to some degree. It doesn’t do any damage to the ego to admit that we’re not the smartest or the prettiest, or the strongest or most talented. That which hurts, that which is hateful, is to have our faults pointed out by someone who is not necessarily convinced that we are worthwhile human beings.

When Hillel said to this man, "What is hateful to you, don’t do to others," he was being very specific. He was talking about that thing which is hateful. Not "whatever" is hateful, but that which is hateful to you do not do to others. "That thing" is seeing another person’s fault, without first recognizing his worth. That’s what we hate and what we shouldn’t do to others.

What Hillel was doing for this man was summing up all of the Torah in one mitzvah, the mitzvah of "loving a fellow Jew as much as you love yourself." Since the man was very impatient, and seemingly not very ambitious, if Hillel had told him "love your fellow Jew as much as you love yourself," he would have thought it was impossible, too demanding. So Hillel translated it for him into practical terms.

You can’t measure the amount you love yourself. In self-love, before you see your own faults you already know that you are important, significant. No matter what your body and human personality turn out to be, your neshama is already valuable. And with that knowledge and security you can look at your faults and not be hurt. That’s how you love yourself: you consider yourself worthwhile despite your faults; you must know that your fellow Jew is worthwhile, too. No matter how the other Jew behaves, there is something very valuable about this person -- the very fact that he is a Jew.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe once said, that when talking to another Jew, you have to realize that every Jew is an only child to G-d, the King of Kings. Therefore, when you talk to another Jew, you have to keep in mind whose child this is, even if he doesn’t behave like the child of the King of Kings, you have to remember who his Father is.

G-d created the world very carefully and thoughtfully. Everything we see and hear is of meaning to us. If G-d allows us to see the faults of another person, He is showing an opportunity to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. When we see another person’s faults, our first reaction has to be, "What are we being told?" Seeing the other person’s faults can mean that he will not improve his behavior unless we help him, because that’s the way G-d set it up. Because, if G-d is letting you see this fault, it must be your job to help him fix it. The second possibility is that the fault is in you, and you’re seeing it reflected in the other person. A fault in another person should elicit the reaction, "What’s that got to do with me? Why do I need to see this?" The other person’s fault offers us the opportunity to improve, to show us something in ourselves that we are not seeing. Therefore, we are indebted to the other person even if his fault consists of hurting us. This person is the messenger through whom this enlightenment is coming and there is no need to be hateful.

The ultimate part in love of a fellow Jew is that every Jew has a Divine soul, and regardless of how he behaves, that soul remains. Where do we see the evidence of this G-dly soul? Love of a fellow Jew, taken to its fullest expression, is the ability to discover evidence, signs of the presence of a Divine soul, even in a person who does not, at first glance, seem to have any soul at all.

In pursuing the mitzvah of loving your fellow Jew, we start with the awareness that every Jew is a little piece of G-d, and that if that piece of G-d is not evident in the person’s life, then it is your job to reveal it. To help that person discover his own G-dliness. Bringing ourselves together, being able to see past the externals and faults, to be aware of the neshama of a Jew, is what heals the wound of Exile, and brings Moshiach.

This article was transcribed from a talk by Rabbi Friedman.

Rabbi Manis Friedman is the author of Doesn't Anyone Blush Anymore (Harper Collins). He lectures throughout the world on Chassidic philosophy and its application to daily living.