Log In | Register
Our good friend Holly and I will present a central concept in each of our heritages. That is to love your neighbor as yourself.
In the comments section, please share the wisdom of your tradition, community and/or your original thoughts on why this is a good idea. For guidance, kindly see my first comment.
HOLLY: Christianity teaches us over and over to love our neighbor as ourselves. Examples abound in the Bible.
Leviticus 19:18 Thous shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but shalt love thy neighbor as thyself; I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:34 But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your GOD.
Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Matthew: 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have life eternal?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God: but if thou wilt enter into life; keep the commandments.
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thous shalt not commit adultery, Thus shalt not steal, Thous shalt not bear false witness.
19 Honor thy Father and thy Mother; and Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Matthew: 22:35 The one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
26 Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thous shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, the first commandment is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said unto him, Well Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God: and there is no other but he:
33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thous art not far from the Kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
Luke 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
Luke 10:
25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? How readest thou?
27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.
28 And he said unto him, thous hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not cover; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thous shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is fulfilling of the law.
Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having a spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing: but that is should be Holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
James 2:8 If ye fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, Thus shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well.
9 But if ye respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
One if the musings of Christians truly catches my eye when I say: "We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and humbly repent..." What do we really mean?
Well, my neighbor exhibits good examples of behavior and bad. My neighbor has threatened my dog with death, but he has also has an ambulance come to his house late at night when someone was in distress.
My neighbor has been know to acquire drugs for people in the neighborhood, yet has also had the ambulance come because of a bad diabetic reaction. He is unemployed due to the economy and ineligible for benefits because his doctor says he is healthy enough to work, even though work does not exist for the most part for those who suffer from such afflictions.
My neighbor lost his wife last Christmas and has had his children move in with him as a result, so they can help him with his heart problems and failing eyesight. They park many boats and SUV's on our block as a result.
My neighbor works for a grocery store chain, and works odd hours - sometimes late into the night at age 70 because she cannot afford to retire yet. Her husband is retired military, so this illustrates how little this pension can be.
My neighbor also has carpal tunnel syndrome and cannot work. She relies on a workman's compensation settlement in order to survive.
Who am I to judge my neighbor?
On Christmas Day, I received a fudge wheel, a bag of tamales, good wishes and happy faces. These were worth more to me than any Christmas movie could convey.
We dig each other's vehicles our during snowstorms and pick up each other's kids/grand kids when we have to work and are prevented from going to school. We advise each other when strange cars observe our houses or traverse the neighborhood. We serve food to those who have none. We gather money packages when someone is laid off or fired.
This is the true calling of the neighbor. One who reserves judgement and only seeks to help, even if help is only temporary. God bless all my neighbors!
ENOCH: In Vayekrah 19-18 (Leviticus 19:18) it is written "--- You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself".
This is perhaps the most comprehensive rule of conduct that is the essence of religion. It applies to every human relation, and to all of humanity. Rabbi Hillel paraphrased it by saying, "Whatever is hateful to you, avoid doing to your fellow man". He saw it as the over riding principle of Divine Law. For him, all the rest of the Laws, Customs, and Traditions are a commentary on it.
Judaism over the course of its long and distinguished history is replete with references to this rule of major import.
Ben Sira says, "Honor your neighbor as yourself".
Tobit tells his son, "What displeases you, don't to to others".
Historians and philosophers Philo and Josephus say similar things.
Rabbi Hillel was asked by an adversary of the Jewish religion to condense for him to a sound byte (Regal Ehad - Standing on One Foot) all Divine Law. Hillel replied, "What ever is hateful to you, don't do it to others". This is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary".
Eleazar Ben-Arach said, "Let your neighbor's honor be as dear to you as your own".
Following the destruction of the Great Temple, Rabbi Akiba said, "You should love your neighbor as yourself is a fundamental rule in the Torah".
Rabbi Ben-Azzai, a contemporary of Akiva agreed, providing that this rule is understood in the context of Baraysheet 5-1 (Genesis 5-1). Since G-d created humanity in his own image, it is a matter of no less than reverence for G-d that we recognize the essential unity of all humankind. All of us are created in the Divine Image. Therefore, all of us are entitled to human love reflecting Divine love.
Morality, which makes love practically possible, is either universal, or it isn't moral at all. The mystic Judah the Pious said, "On the Day of Judgment, The Holy One, blessed be, will call upon every nation to account for each violation of the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself".
That this love is universal and applies to all humanity can be found in Vayekrah 34. "You will treat the stranger (Ger) who travels among you as if he is your home born neighbor. You will love him as you do yourself; for you were strangers (Gerim) in the land of Egypt".
As we Jewish People never strayed from our G-d given religion, neither is it necessary for anyone of any non-Jewish religion to leave their faith, covenant and mission to enjoy our unqualified love.
Why is this rule so important?
It is a vital part of how we should live our lives most abundantly, humanely, and in the Service of G-d through service to humanity. This must take place while addressing the practicalities of life.
"Eem ain anili, mili? Eem lo bishvili, leatsmi? Veh eem lo aksahve, ad matai"?
As Rabbi Hillel said, If I am not for myself, who will be? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when"?
Loving your neighbor as yourself entails living beyond only for yourself.
The time to start is now!
