“Love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord your God.” Two questions can be asked: First, what does Love they neighbor as yourself mean? At first glance, it seems like a measurement. How is that possible? Second, what does God have to do with it? What is the statement about God doing here in this interpersonal commandment?

Erich Fromm, Bob Marley, and Rabbi Hillel

There are problems with the commandment—love your neighbor as yourself? First of all, some people don’t love themselves that much, so that’s an inadequate measurement. Secondly, how’s that even possible to fulfill? Secondly, one can never love a neighbor as much as one’s self, maybe a child, but it would be tough to fulfill the commandment, if it’s perceived as a measurement. Perhaps, there’s another way of reading this commandment, as a teaching.

We have responsibilities to ourselves and we have responsibilities to others. How do we negotiate that difficult balance? Hillel teaches us how.

The verse reads, “Love your neighbor as yourself. I am God.” What’s God doing here? Let’s think about what we know about God? What’s one of the central principles that we have about God, what is our central credo of faith? God is One, which means that God’s world is one and unified, and inseparable.

The world is one. If we are going to be successful in love—in this world, we need to know this lesson. The world is one. Everything is one, love is one.  We can’t love others until we love ourselves, we can’t love ourselves until we love others. Love fosters more love, the world is a unified whole.  Erich Fromm writes that the love for one’s self is inseparably connected for the love for any other being.  Love of others and love of us are not alternatives. Love is indivisible.

Bob Marley sings it, too. It’s one world, with one love.

How is it possible to love other as much as we love ourselves? Love your neighbor as yourself, I am the Lord you God, to help you do that. God provides us with the answer. God is the source of Love, God loves us with a great love. Ahavah Rabah Ahantanu, Ahavat olam, a great love, an eternal love, a unified love.

A connection with the Divine opens our world to allow for the kind of caring toward one another. An example, as a parent. Having a child was a Divine revelation. It’s not the only way to have this revelation, but it’s one of the most accessible ways? I did a lot of teaching before I had children. When I had my first child, it opened up the love that I now have for other people’s children. I teach a lot differently after I had children. I saw other children differently, and more deeply. I love other people’s children more that I used to before I had my own children. You might think that I would love other children less? After all, now that I have my own children, my attention and my focus would be drawn away from other people’s children. How could they compare to my children? The connection that I have to my child, fostered the connection that I have for other people’s children. It’s all one love. The same is true for the love that we have for ourselves and for others. Love your neighbor as yourself, I am God, understand that it’s all one. God is the source of Love, God loves us with a great love. Ahavah Rabah Ahantanu, Ahavat olam, a great love, an eternal love, a unified love.

Love your neighbor as yourself doesn’t teach us a measurement, it teaches us a principle. Shlomo Carlebach writes, “If we had two hearts, we could use one to love and one to hate. But we have one heart, and so we have to make a choice.” When we start to hate, anything, it spirals into everything. When we start to love, anything, it spiral into everything.”

Ribnono shel olam, help us to love each other more deeply. We are your children, and it’s so easy to become wrapped up in our own concerns. It’s so easy to criticize and hate and gossip and be jealous. Help us fulfill your command  to love each other more and care for each other more—as much as we care and protect ourselves. Your world is interconnected and unified. Help us love all as You love us. And together let us say: Amen.  

© Ranon Teller 2006

Sermon Classification: 69

Key Words: God is One, God is inseparable, Universal Love