At some point in our lives, all of us learn that the heart that is pumping inside our bodies does not exactly like the famous red heart symbol that appears on decorations, cards, and oh-so-many social media messages.
While technically the heart symbol may be anatomically inaccurate, there may still be something we can learn from it. After all, the saintly Baal Shem Tov, founder of Chassidism, taught that one can learn a lesson from everything that one sees or hear.
Here’s my take on the matter, a lesson that I think we can learn. The love-heart symbol has two protrusions, two curves that may appear separate or distinct. Yet, as they draw down, they come closer together, until they form a singular unified point on the bottom. Perhaps the message is, yes, we do have our differences, but love ought to find that common shared essential point, that core where we are (or become) one.
This is hopefully true of a couple, or any good friendship. It is also true of our people, the Jewish nation. We have so many ways that we are different, so many areas where we might think differently from one another. That is natural, and even healthy, as long as when it comes down to it, we share that same unifying point. What is that united core? It is the inner core soul connection that we all share.
We can take this idea a step further by exploring two definitions of ahavat Yisroel, love of a fellow Jew, offered by the first Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, and his grandson, Rabbi Menachem Mendel, the third Chabad Rebbe. In the 32nd chapter of his magnum opus, the Tanya, Rabbi Shneur Zalman lays out his vision of ahavat Yisroel – one where we focus on what unifies us, our G-dly soul. His grandson, in his own work, explains that ahavat Yisroel is actually celebrating and appreciating our differences, and how we each fulfill the other.
One way to characterize the two opinions would be to say that Rabbi Shneur Zalman, known as the Alter Rebbe, sees love despite our differences, like the unifying point at the bottom of the heart symbol. Rabbi Menachem Mendel, known as the Tzemach Tzedek, sees love as because of our differences, much like the two protruding curves.
Taking these ideas to a practical level, the love-shaped heart can teach us to respect, appreciate, and feel deeply connected to our fellow Jew even if they think, say or do differently than us. Even a legitimate disagreement should only be a springboard to show our love for one another. How does one express that love? How that is for you to determine…