BS"D Parshath Kedoshim by Yitzhak Kolakowski ------------------ "...and you shall love your neighbor* as yourself, I am the L-rd." (Lev. 19:18) -------------------------- (* not the normal word for neighbor, rather lit. fellow, i.e. fellow Jew.) -------------------------- My dear friends, we cannot imagine how much Hashem loves us, the Jewish people. The Torah tells us to love Hashem back (Deut. 6:5). Of course we cannot love Hashem as much as He loves us, but it makes sense to try as hard as we can. If you love someone, you need to have common interests. You should strive to love that which your Beloved loves. So, my dear friends, if Hashem loves the Jewish people, and we must love Him, we must also love His beloved, the Jewish people. Look at the verse, first love your fellow Jew, then it says 'I am the L-rd.' G-d puts the love of the Jewish people before His own Name. We see that the Baal HaTanya, zy"a, writes in his siddur, based on the teachings of the Ari HaKadosh, zy"a, that before morning prayers, one should say, "Hareni mekabel alai mitzvath asei shel 've'ahavta l'reiecha k'mocha'." - "I am accepting upon myself the positive commandment of '...you should love your neighbor as yourself'." Before showing your love for G-d, the gateway to get there is to love His beloved. It shows that you and He have, so to speak, something in common. If someone is talking to you, and you have something in common, you're more interested in what they have to say, even if it's not on that subject you share interest in. Just the same, so to speak, Hashem sees that you and He have something in common before you start speaking to Him, so He is (so to speak) more interested in what you have to say and more ready to do something for you. This is why we say in the first brachah of the Amidah, "umevi Goel l'vnei v'neihem l'maan Shmo, b'ahavah" - "and bring a Redeemer (Moshiach) to their (the Patriarch's) children (i.e. the Jewish people) for His Name's sake, in love." We often say in davening, particularly in Tachanun, how "Shimcha nikra al Ircha v'al Amecha", that G-d's Name is called upon His city and His people; meaning that we are called by G-d's name. "L'maan Shmo, b'ahavah", when saying this, try to think of a group of Jews davening together, some with black hats, some with kipot srugot, some with shtreimlach, some with baseball caps, all davening together as a tzibbur, all united as one group who love eachother like the Torah wants us to. Look at them from above, and see that all the hats together spell out Hashem's Holy and Exalted Name, Yud-Kei-Vav-Kei. In merit of this shared love, for His Name's sake, how can He help but to answer our plea for Him to send us a Redeemer, for His Name's sake, in love. R' Moshe Leib Sasover, zy"a, once told a story about how he learned what Ahavath Yisroel is. He saw two non-Jews sitting in a bar, drinking. When they were very drunk, they hugged each other. One asked the other, "Do you really love me?" "Of course", answered the other. "Really?" "Of course." "No you don't, if you really loved me, you would know what I am lacking." May we all know from the deepest depths of our hearts what our fellow Jew is lacking at all times, and may we be filled with a fire to want to fill in that hole left by what's missing. May be truly holy, by knowing exactly and at all times how and where to direct that love, and to never misdirect that love in the wrong place, G-d forbid (another strong theme to this week's parsha, but that'll have to wait for another parsha sheet). May that true and holy fire of Ahavath Yisrael, love of fellow Jews, spell out Hashem's Great Name, so that He will (please, soon) send what we are lacking, a return of our Divine Service to that great and holy house where we can feel our awe of Him, (which is the only awe that can co-exist with love), the fire offerings of Israel and their prayers, soon, with love; even so that He send a Redeemer, for His Name's sake, in love. Gut Shabbos ---------- ---------- (c) 2001, Joseph Kolakowski. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for distribution and printing. (even encouraged) :)