Love Your Neighbor As Yourself, I am Hashem (Vayikra 19:18)

The Sefer “Courage to Change” (which is Divrei Torah from the Rabbeim at Yeshivas Toras Chaim in North Miami Beach) mentions a thought on this week’s parsha that I would like to share with you. There are two types of mitzvos: between a person and another person, and between a person and Hashem. To be a complete Jew, a person must keep both types of these mitzvos.

The Gemara relates a famous story about a man who came to Hillel to convert on condition Hillel could teach him the entire Torah while standing on one foot. Hillel responded, “Don’t do to another what you wouldn’t want done to yourself. The rest of the Torah is just an explanation of that principle.” This response seems to be a great lesson of how one should keep mitzvos between a person and another person, but how does this teach a person to keep mitzvos between a person and Hashem?

Hillel was telling the person an important lesson: the Torah is based on selflessness. If a person cares more for others, he focuses less on himself. He becomes less self-centered. This will make him grow in his mitzvos between a person and another person. Having selflessness will also make a person grow in the mitzvos between a person and Hashem. If a person puts his own desires first, he will sin against Hashem. But if he lowers his self, he can then give priority to Hashem’s needs.

There is a law that we put on our right shoe first, but don’t tie it. Then, we put on our left shoe and tie it. Finally, we tie our right shoe. Does it really matter if we do it in this order? Most people would think this is silly. But, if a person has selflessness, he realizes that there is a Higher Power that is telling him to do this. He realizes that something that looks silly really might not be.

Good Shabbos!
-y.e.s.
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