Love others as yourself There is a well-known story about Rabbi Akiva who was asked by a stranger to teach him the entire Torah in one sentence. The stranger wanted to know the purpose of existence without having to plunge into the vast ocean of knowledge that lies within the Torah and the Mitsvot (precepts). Rabbi Akiva’s answer to him: “Love others as yourself (Leviticus 19:18); this is the inclusive principle in the Torah”. This means that the entire Torah rests on the ability to learn to love others without expectation, love that does not rely on anything in return. All the studying and upholding of the Mitsvot, according to Rabbi Akiva, is founded on love for others. We know if we are going against the purpose of our creation, when instead of love there is anger or hatred. This is an important guide, showing us that the closer we are to being a creator and gaining self control, so does our ability to love others unconditionally become greater. Conversely, the more distanced we are from our purpose and get caught up in our lives, so does our ability to love and share weaken.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 02:59:56 +0000