The Torah teaches us that true love is a love based on a spiritual bond. Each person possesses a soul, a deep core, that is beyond evaluation or grading. No human ☝️can ever judge 🙄 the value and greatness 😇of a soul which originates from G-d.
When you start to connect more to your own soul, your entire outlook towards other people undergoes a transformation 🙃. You begin to perceive them from a spiritual point view ✨👁️✨
You will no longer judge others by their externals, nor love a person because of their money, personality, or how they make you feel.
True love means looking *deeper* and valuing only a person's core. Their divine soul.
Keep in mind that human beings have no clue about the greatness of a soul☝️.
It’s very possible that the person you are looking at has a soul which originates from a spiritual level much higher up than mine 🙆♀️...
Here’s another important point 😊:
When it comes to souls - we are _all_ interconnected💞.
After all, all souls are one because they originate from the same source - G-d!
_*For this reason, all Jewish people are called brothers because our Father is one and the same for all of us.*_
This beautiful explanation of the mitzvah to love another like yourself leaves us with a huge question:
Can you really, really love another person as much as you love yourself❓❓
With true love - yes, you can!
True love is a feeling of love, care, and concern 🫂
For any Jew
Such a love can only be experienced 🤚if you prioritize the soul over the body.
Because from the body’s perspective 👤 -
We are all s e p a r a t e , competitive beings 👬🏻👭🏻👬🏻
_*Therefore, anyone who considers his body to be the main thing and his soul to be of secondary importance will find it is impossible to have true love and affection for another person except for the kind of love that is dependent upon external factors*_
But if you view yourself and those around you from a spiritual perspective, you can love another person just as you love yourself, because in truth, you are both one unit.
This understanding enables us to have a deeper appreciation for the following famous story mentioned in the Talmud:
A non-Jew came to Shammai and asked him to convert him while standing on one foot 🦵.
Shamai chased him away.
The same non-Jew then went to Hillel with the same ridiculous request.
Hillel answered him:
_*What is hateful to you - do not do to your friends 🖐️. This is the entire Torah👌and all the rest of it expounds upon this. Now go and study.*_
But is this really true?
There are 2 ✌️categories of commandments:
🔸 Between man and G-d
🔸 Between man and his fellow
Logically, loving others as yourself can be the basis for all the commandments that apply to two people. For example, we can understand that if you truly love someone, you will not steal from him, cheat him, or kill him…
But what is the connection between tefillin or Shabbat 🕯️🕯️, for example, and loving your fellow 🤷🏻♀️❓
When you love and value other people because of their souls, you are fulfilling the entire goal and purpose of the Torah! The goal of the entire Torah is to get you to value and elevate your soul over your body 🪂🪂. When you value your soul and want to connect with her, you do more mitzvot!
Therefore, yes, true love between people is, indeed, the foundation of all The Torah.
Parents’ greatest comfort is seeing their children happy and loving each other 👨👦👦. There is nothing a parent won’t give just to see his children get along.
Similarly, our love for one another draws down divine light and blessings to this world.
Unity is the key to all blessings 🗝️. Peace and love are the things that G-d, our Father, loves most 🙏 and so when we act in that manner, we automatically draw down divine light and blessings upon ourselves.
