You shall neither take revenge from nor bear a grudge against the members of your people; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. (19:18)
There are many difficulties in this Posuk: First, what is the reason for stating at the end of the Posuk, 'd i−¦p£` I am the Lord, which seems to be the stress point and reason why to love your neighbor, since the command to love should be enough without any reason? Secondly, what is the connection between the commands not to take revenge or bear a grudge and the command “love your neighbor”? Third, what is the connection of 'd i−¦p£` I am the Lord, to the command of Æx H ¦z ` l§e m T ¦z ` l neither take revenge from nor bear a grudge? To get a better insight: We recite it every day in Shema. :L «¤c ` §n l ̈k §aE −L §W §t©p l ̈k §aE ¬L §a ̈a §l l,k §a Li¤w l¡` 'd z−¥` ̈Y §a©d ́ ̈`§e And you shall love Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your means. We see that Hashem is commanding us to have two lovers. Love your neighbor,oia exiagl mc` and ,mewnl mc` oialove Hashem. How do we connect ourselves to these commands of love? We must start with the first command:
.L en ̈M L£r «¥x §l ̈Y §a©d« ̈`§e You shall love your neighbor as yourself. This is no easy task—to really love your neighbor! If this is the case, how does the Torah command us to handle such a difficult task?
The answer is revealed in the Posuk: 'd i−¦p£` I am the Lord. The Posuk begins with “not to revenge or bear a grudge.” Here we have the same question: The fact is that in all nations or creatures, the common nature is revenge or bearing a grudge, and that is the way of life. Yet Hashem demands of a Yid that he restrain revenge, a grudge, and hatred. Are we dealing with the impossible? Of course not! When we thrive to find the root cause and the solution to these three commands, we come to one point: 'd i−¦p£` I am the Lord. The cause of revenge stems from the jealousy of a person who has more money or is respected more than you. The hatred towards another stems from jealosy as well. There are other causes too, as sometimes another person causes harm or berates him. The solution is 'd i−¦p£` I am the Lord. Everything in detail that happens is planned by Hashem. If that person has more money or honor than you, he earned it from Hashem. If you are destined to have more money or honor, you will attain it, but not with jealousy. Pray to Hashem! If a person berates you, there are two possibilities. If you deserved that rebuke or beratement, then rectify yourself. If you feel that it was not deserved, then realize that Hashem is sending you a test to refrain from revenge or hatred in order to elevate yourself and receive a great reward.
When we understood and believed that, 'd i−¦p£` Hashem is the cause for everything, we would thank Hashem after someone berates or causes harm and not show any animosity to another. This is the powerful point: when we live our lives truly knowing that everything is with Divine Providence and there is no coincidence, we will love all people and be positive. As we gradually reach this beautiful, tranquil life, we will see the happenings of Hashem. We would rise to the level of ¬L §a ̈a §l l,k §a Li¤w l¡` 'd z−¥` ̈Y §a©d ́ ̈`§e And you shall love Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart. Therefore, the first step if Love your neighbor, and that would bring to Loving Hashem. This is what Rashi states i ¦A ©x x©n ̈` :L en ̈M L£r «¥x §l ̈Y §a©d« ̈`§e . :d ̈x eY©A l ec ̈B l ̈l §M d¤f ` ̈ai ¦w£r You shall love your neighbor as yourself: Rabbi Akiva says: “This is a fundamental all-inclusive principle of the Torah.”
Now that we know that this command is so important to the principles of Torah, This brings us to the famous Gemara Shabbos 31a: The Sages taught that a person should always be patient, like Hillel, and not impatient, like Shammai. The Gemara relates: There was an incident involving one gentile who came before Shammai and said to Shammai: Convert me on condition that you teach me the entire Torah while I am standing on one foot. Shammai pushed him away with the builder’s cubit in his hand. This was a common measuring stick, and Shammai was a builder by trade. The same gentile came before Hillel. He converted him and said to him: That which is hateful to you, do not do to another; that is the entire Torah, and the rest is its interpretation. “Go study!” We now have a beautiful understanding of the words of Hillel. Once the gentile would follow Hillel’s rule and realize that everything that happens is from Hashem, he would reach the level of Ahavas Hashem. ,ufkn kug ,kce ohnawhich is the main point of the Torah. Therefore, Rabbi Akiva says: L en ̈M L£r «¥x §l ̈Y §a©d« ̈`§e is the fundamental principle of the Torah.” It all begins with “Love your neighbor!”
Serve Hashem with joy, come before Him with praise. Know that the Lord; He made us and we are His, people and the flock of His pasture (Tehilim 100)
(Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
