Shalom and
Bracha!
This
Shabbat we bless the month of Iyar and we read the portion of Kedoshim.
The portion begins "be holy, because I, Hashem your G-d, am holy. A deep
reflection upon this for gives us the awareness that each of us has a
spark of G-d within us and through the power of that spark and the
awareness of that spark we can elevate ourselves to any height of
holiness.
In the midst of the portion we find a very
special Mitzvah, loving our fellow Jew as ourselves. Rabbi Akiva said
that this Mitzvah is the great principal of the Torah, and Hillel said
that the entire Torah is an explanation of this Mitzvah. Seemingly, this
Mitzvah is very difficult to understand. How can Hashem command me to
have an emotion? Further, why is the entire Torah connected to this
Mitzvah?
Our
emotions are effected by our thoughts. Hillel, in expressing this
Mitzvah, said “Don’t treat others in a manner which you hate.” The
Tzemach Tzedek, (the third Lubavitcher Rebbe) explained Hillel’s words.
We all resent when people dwell on our faults. Although we make
mistakes, we want others to concentrate on the positive things that we
have accomplished, not the negative. Hillel teaches us to treat others
in the same manner. Rather than thinking about their faults, ignore
their faults and think about the good that they have done. Suddenly, it
becomes much easier to stop hating and start loving.
In order
to love someone as ourselves, we must come to a higher awareness of our
own being. We are each souls, and our bodies are merely the vehicles of
the soul’s expression. The entire Jewish people are one entity working
to perfect the world through Torah and Mitzvot and prepare the world for
Moshiach’s coming. Although some of us are less active in our mission,
we are all parts of one body. As such, loving of our fellow Jew is
tantamount to loving ourselves. This higher awareness is the basis of
the entire Torah.
The word
Iyar, the month we bless this Shabbat, is an abbreviation of the Hebrew
verse Ani Hashem Rofecha (I am Hasem your healer.) Our prolonged exile
is the sickness that has enveloped the world for much too long. The
Temple was destroyed because of wanton hatred and will be rebuilt
because of Ahavat Yisrael. Let’s each do something special for Jewish
unity and may we speedily see the coming of Moshiach.
Shabbat
Shalom and Chodesh Tov,
Rabbi Biggs
In memory of Mindel Bas Nota Asher and Pessiah Bas Nota
Asher Shetman.
May their souls be
bound in the bond of eternal life.
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project of Chabad of Great Neck
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