(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (ב) דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־כׇּל־עֲדַ֧ת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֥ אֲלֵהֶ֖ם קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
Biblical scholars tell us that this part of the Book of Leviticus was written by a new priestly school at the end of the 8th century BCE. As Jacob Milgrom writes in Leviticus: A Book of Ritual and Ethics, this school, “concerned itself with the people at large,” and had a revolutionary goal: “the creation of an egalitarian society,” in which, “everyone has access to the holy,” and has the burden, “to live a life that accords with holiness.”
Rabbi Daniel Klein, Dean, Hebrew College Rabbinical School
Fulfilling the Promise of the Mishkan
https://hebrewcollege.edu/blog/fulfilling-the-promise-of-the-mishkan/
לא תלך רכיל. אֲנִי אוֹמֵר עַל שֵׁם שֶׁכָּל מְשַׁלְּחֵי מְדָנִים וּמְסַפְּרֵי לָשׁוֹן הָרַע הוֹלְכִים בְּבָתֵּי רֵעֵיהֶם לְרַגֵּל מַה יִּרְאוּ רָע, אוֹ מַה יִּשְׁמְעוּ רָע, לְסַפֵּר בַּשּׁוּק, נִקְרָאִים הוֹלְכֵי רָכִיל — הוֹלְכֵי רְגִילָה, אשפיי"מנט בְּלַעַז. וּרְאָיָה לִדְבָרַי, שֶׁלֹּא מָצִינוּ רְכִילוּת שֶׁאֵין כָּתוּב בִּלְשׁוֹן הֲלִיכָה,
לא תלך רכיל THOU SHALT NOT GO ABOUT AS A TALE BEARER — I say that because all those who sow discord between people and all who speak slander go into their friends' houses in order to spy out what evil they can see there, or what evil they can hear there so that they may tell it in the streets —they are called הולכי רכיל which it the same as הולכי רגילה, "people who go about spying"; espiement in O. F. A proof of my statement is the fact that we do not find anywhere the term רגיל used in Scripture except in connection with the expression הלך "to go".
Hayyim Vital
“Before beginning the order of prayer in synagogue, a person must accept the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself . You should have the intention to love every Jew as you love your own life, for this way your prayer will be bound together with the prayers of all Israel, ascending to heaven and bearing fruit.
“Especially when a group studies Torah together in love, all the members should have the intention of binding themselves together, considering themselves as limbs of a single organism. This is especially true when people attain knowledge and insight to understand their fellows on the level of the soul. If one of the members suffers some pain, all the members must join themselves to their suffering, whether it regards physical illness or children, God forbid, and pray on their behalf. In all your prayers or behaviors or speech, you should bind your comrades to yourself. My teacher of blessed memory exhorted me very strongly regarding loving all the comrades in our fellowship.”
Hayyim ben Joseph Vital (Safed, October 23, 1542 (Julian calendar) / October 11, 1542 (Gregorian Calendar) – Damascus, 23 April 1620[) was a rabbi in Safed and the foremost disciple of Isaac Luria. He recorded much of his master's teachings. After Vital's death, his writings began to spread and led to a "powerful impact on various circles throughout the Jewish world." (Wikipedia)
From the Character of Shug in The Color Purple by Alice Walker:
My first step from the old white man was trees. Then air. Then birds. Then other people. But one day when I was sitting quiet and feeling like a motherless child, which I was, it come to me: that feeling of being part of everything, not separate at all. I knew that if I cut a tree, my arm would bleed. And I laughed and I cried and I run all around the house. I knew just what it was. In fact, when it happen, you can't miss it.
(א) זֶ֣ה סֵ֔פֶר תּוֹלְדֹ֖ת אָדָ֑ם בְּי֗וֹם בְּרֹ֤א אֱלֹהִים֙ אָדָ֔ם בִּדְמ֥וּת אֱלֹהִ֖ים עָשָׂ֥ה אֹתֽוֹ׃ (ב) זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בְּרָאָ֑ם וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָ֗ם וַיִּקְרָ֤א אֶת־שְׁמָם֙ אָדָ֔ם בְּי֖וֹם הִבָּֽרְאָֽם׃
(ז) רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְרַבִּי מְנַחֵ בֶּן עֲזַאי אוֹמֵר (בראשית ה, א) :זֶה סֵפֶר תּוֹלְדֹת אָדָם, זֶה כְּלַל גָּדוֹל בַּתּוֹרָה, רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר (ויקרא יט, יח): וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ, זֶה כְּלַל גָּדוֹל בַּתּוֹרָה, שֶׁלֹא תֹאמַר הוֹאִיל וְנִתְבַּזֵּיתִי יִתְבַּזֶה חֲבֵרִי עִמִּי, הוֹאִיל וְנִתְקַלַּלְתִּי יִתְקַלֵּל חֲבֵרִי עִמִּי. אָמַר רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא אִם עָשִׂיתָ כֵּן דַּע לְמִי אַתָּה מְבַזֶּה בִּדְמוּת אֱלֹהִים עָשָׂה אוֹתוֹ.
(7) Ben Azzai says: “This is the book of the descendants of Adam” – this verse represents the central tenet of the Torah.As it teaches that all men are created in the likeness of God, and therefore they should treat each other with respect and consideration. This is the basic tenet upon which the rest of the Torah is based. Rabbi Akiva says: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) – that verse represents the central tenet of the Torah, [as it teaches] that you should not say: Since I have been disparaged, let someone else be disparaged along with me; since I was cursed, let someone else be cursed along with me. Rabbi Tanḥuma said: If you do act like that, know who it is that you are disgracing: “in the likeness of God He made him” (Genesis 5:1).
(א) וטעם ואהבת לרעך כמוך הפלגה כי לא יקבל לב האדם שיאהוב את חבירו כאהבתו את נפשו ועוד שכבר בא רבי עקיבא ולמד חייך קודמין לחיי חבירך (ב"מ סב) אלא מצות התורה שיאהב חבירו בכל ענין כאשר יאהב את נפשו בכל הטוב ויתכן בעבור שלא אמר "ואהבת את רעך כמוך" והשוה אותם במלת "לרעך" וכן ואהבת לו כמוך (ויקרא י״ט:ל״ד) דגר שיהיה פירושו להשוות אהבת שניהם בדעתו כי פעמים שיאהב אדם את רעהו בדברים ידועים להטיבו בעושר ולא בחכמה וכיוצא בזה ואם יהיה אוהבו בכל יחפוץ שיזכה רעהו האהוב לו בעושר ובנכסים וכבוד ובדעת ובחכמה ולא שישוה אליו אבל יהיה חפץ בלבו לעולם שיהיה הוא יותר ממנו בכל טובה ויצוה הכתוב שלא תהיה פחיתות הקנאה הזאת בלבו אבל יאהב ברבות הטובה לחבירו כאשר אדם עושה לנפשו ולא יתן שיעורין באהבה ועל כן אמר ביהונתן (שמואל א כ יז)
(1) AND THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF. This is an expression by way of overstatement, for a human heart is not able to accept a command to love one’s neighbor as oneself. Moreover, Rabbi Akiba has already come and taught,Baba Metzia 62 a. This teaching applies to a case where “two people are together on a journey and one has a pitcher of water; if they both drink from it they will die, because there is not enough for both, but if only one will drink he will survive. Ben Petura taught that it is better that both should drink and die, rather than that one should see the death of the other. [This was held to be the law] until Rabbi Akiba came and taught: that thy brother may live with thee (further, 25:36), thy life takes precedence over the life of thy brother.” “Your life takes precedence over the life of your fellow-being.” Rather, the commandment of the Torah means that one is to love one’s fellow-being in all matters, as one loves all good for oneself.Thus: “he is to speak in praise of his neighbor, and be as careful of his neighbor’s property as he is careful of his own property, and be as solicitous of his neighbor’s honor as he is of his own” (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Mada, 6:3). It is possible that since it does not say “and thou shalt love ‘eth rei’acha’ In that case the command would have been to love the person of one’s neighbor as much as one loves one’s own self. But instead the verse says l’rei’acha, which means “to [or ‘for’] your neighbor,” thus teaching that that which is good “for” your neighbor you should love as if it were good for youself. as thyself,” but instead it likened them in the word ‘l’rei’acha’ [which literally means “to” thy neighbor], and similarly it states with reference to a proselyte, and thou shalt love ‘lo’ (him) [but literally: “to” him] as thyself, Further, Verse 34. Here too the thought conveyed is: “that which is good for the proselyte you should love, as if it were good for your own self.” that the meaning thereof is to equate the love of both [himself and his neighbor, or himself and the proselyte] in his mind. For sometimes a person will love his neighbor in certain matters, such as doing good to him in material wealth but not with wisdom and similar matters. But if he loves him completely, he will want his beloved friend to gain riches, properties, honor, knowledge and wisdom. However [because of human nature] he will still not want him to be his equal, for there will always be a desire in his heart that he should have more of these good things than his neighbor. Therefore Scripture commanded that this degrading jealousy should not exist in his heart, but instead a person should love to do abundance of good for his fellow-being as he does for himself, and he should place no limitations upon his love for him. It is for this reason that it is said of Jonathan’s [love for David], for he loved him as he loved his own soul,I Samuel 20:17. because Jonathan had removed [altogether] the attribute of jealousy from his heart, and he said [to David], and thou shalt be king over Israel, Ibid., 23:17. etc.
Moses ben Nachman (1194–1270), commonly known as Nachmanides ....and also referred to by the acronym Ramban (/ˌrɑːmˈbɑːn/; רמב״ן)...... was a leading medieval Jewish scholar, Catalan rabbi, philosopher, physician, kabbalist, and biblical commentator. He was raised, studied, and lived for most of his life in Girona, Catalonia. He is also considered to be an important figure in the re-establishment of the Jewish community in Jerusalem following its destruction by the Crusaders in 1099. Wikipedia
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook
“Listen to me, my people! I speak to you from my soul, from within my innermost soul. I call out to you from the living connection by which I am bound to all of you, and by which all of you are bound to me. I feel this more deeply than any other feeling: that only you — all of you, all of your souls, throughout all of your generations — you alone are the meaning of my life. In you I live. In the aggregation of all of you, my life has that content that is called ‘life.’ Without you, I have nothing. All hopes, all aspirations, all purpose in life, all that I find inside myself – these are only when I am with you. I need to connect with all of your souls. I must love you with a boundless love....
Each one of you, each individual soul from the aggregation of all of you, is a great spark from the torch of infinite light, which enlightens my existence. You give meaning to life and work, to Torah and prayer, to song and hope. It is through the conduit of your being that I sense everything and love everything.” (Shemonah Kevatzim, vol. I, sec. 163)
Abraham Isaac Kook (Hebrew: אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק הַכֹּהֵן קוּק; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as HaRav Kook,[and also known by the Hebrew-language acronym Hara'ayah[2] (הראי״ה), was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. He is considered to be one of the fathers of religious Zionism and is known for founding the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva. (Wikipedia)
Rabbi Jonathan Kliger (the term "xenophilia" above was taken from this essay).
When we hear “Love your neighbor as yourself” we generally think of “neighbor” as referring to the entire human family. The Torah, however, clearly considers two separate categories of people – neighbors and strangers – both of whom we need to treat with thoughtful care. I find the Torah’s classifications to reflect a much more nuanced and accurate representation of human nature than any contemporary platitude about how we just need to love everyone. For, in fact, we do not automatically treat a stranger the way we treat our neighbor. There is a moral calculus in treating one’s neighbor well: you want your neighbor to treat you well, too. This is a basic social contract among people sharing life in a community. It is in everyone’s self-interest to behave well towards each other. Also, to put it bluntly, everyone prefers to hang out with their friends! The stranger is by definition someone in whom we have no investment. There is no incentive of self-interest to make us want to turn to the stranger, get to know them, or assist them.
https://truah.org/resources/kedoshim-love-the-stranger-as-yourself/
Who as the writer Grace Paley says in her midrash on happiness:
"What she meant by happiness, she said, was the following: she meant having (or having had) (or continuing to have) everything. ........
-By work to do she included the important work of raising children righteously up. By righteously she meant that along with being useful and speaking truth to the community, they must do no harm.
-By harm she meant not only personal injury to the friend the lover the coworker the parent (the city the nation) but also the stranger, she meant particularly the stranger in all her or his difference, who, because we were strangers in Egypt, deserves special goodness for life or at least until the end of strangeness."
Grace Paley, (December 11, 1922 – August 22, 2007) was an American short story author, poet, teacher, and political activist. (Wikipedia)
כתב בהלכות דיעות אם איש הישראלי דר באיזה מקום שיש בו דיעו' רעות ומנהיגים לא טובים צריך לברוח מן המקום ההוא וצריך לילך ממקום למקום וממדינה למדינה עד שיבא למקום תורה ודיעות ישרות ומנהיגים טובים שם יקבע מקום מנוחתו ואם אינו מוציא שום מקום אשר ייטיב לו צריך להתבודד במדברות וביערות כדי שיברח מדיעות רעות ומאנשי רשע.
והאמת הוא שכן צריך האדם לברוח ליערות ולפרוש עצמו מן המון עם כדי שינצל מדיעות רעות וממעשים רעים אך זאת אינו מועיל אלא להנצל מן הדברים המעכבים עבדות השי"ת אבל להשיג הקדושה העליונה אינו זוכה עד שידבק עצמו אל אנשי השם עובדי ה' באמת ולהשתתף עמהם יחד בעבודה רבה הן בתפילה והן בלימוד התורה ועיקר המצות הכל יהיה בכנסי' יחד עם מבקשי ה' ואז יוכל להשיג הקדושה העליונה ולפי הרוב העם המתקבצין יחד לעסק עבדות ה' כן שורה עליהם הקדושה עליונה כמו שאמרו חכמי המשנה לפי רוב הקהל כך הן מברכין כי לפי רוב הקהל כן משיגים הקדושה עליונה שברוב עם הדרת מלך.
Meor ve-Shemesh Now it’s true that in order to save oneself from bad habits and a culture of corruption, one must indeed run away to backwoods and to separate from the masses. But [on the other hand], the only way to rise to a state of holiness is to attach oneself to people of spiritual distinction, true servants of God, joining with them in their sacred service of prayer and Torah study. The most important rule about mitzvot is to perform them in community, with other seekers of God. Then you will be able to attain supernal holiness. The more people that gather together to engage in Divine service, the more the supernal holiness comes to rest upon them… (translation by Rabbi Nehemia Polen)
Kalonymus Kalman Halevi Epstein (Hebrew: רבי קלונימוס קלמן אפשטיין; Nowy Korczyn (Neustadt), Poland, 1753 – Kraków, 1825) was a rabbi, Kabbalist and a leader of the Chassidic movement, known as the Maor Vashamesh (מאור ושמש) after his Hebrew book. Wikipedia
A Taste of the Future
Kedoshim tehiyu is said in the future tense – “you will be sacred” – even though the truth is that we already are sacred. I think this is because entering a zone where everyone knows they are sacred, entering such a consciousness, is indeed a thing of the future, an evolving messianic consciousness that is not yet here, that we only get a taste of in this current world. Working toward this vision of the Torah, letting go of our lenses of self and other devaluation and cultivating inside ourselves a heart that loves unequivocally, is the work for which we were born, moving us ever closer towards that other world (olam haba) that is, with our participation, ever “coming.”
From, Less than to Overflowing with Love
By Dr. Rachel Anisfeld
https://rachelanisfeld.com/2023/04/27/essay-from-less-than-to-overflowing-with-love-parashat-acharei-mot-kedoshim/
Sources:
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Love is Not Enough
https://rabbisacks.org/covenant-conversation/acharei-mot/love-not-enough/