Dear Friends,
Is it possible to lead a life where your soul is a real defining force that guides your day-to-day? Is it possible to view yourself and others as souls on a journey?
The holy books in Judaism say it is, but can you think of someone who you met who actually lives like that?
One such person was Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar, a rare leader that the Jewish world lost this past week with his untimely passing at 78.
His accomplishments are long but two of the big ones are: Founder and Rabbi of the famous Shul of Bal Harbour and Founder of the Aleph Institute that helps Jewish incarcerated men and women and their families be supported in their time of need.
I had the privilege of meeting him once when we brought him as a speaker for our Jewish Legal Symposium on the topic of prison reform (see pic above - he is the Rabbi on right).
But I think his real accomplishment was being a walking example of the most basic principle of the Torah(from this week's Parsha Kedoshim): "Love your fellow as you love yourself ואהבת לרעך כמוך".
There is the famous story of the Talmudic sage Hillel who was asked by a potential convert to Judaism to encapsulate the whole Torah while he stands on one foot. Hillel replied that this 1 mitzvah of "Love your fellow as you love yourself - This is the entire Torah. Everything else is commentary. Now go learn the rest."
A heartwarming story but it seems problematic. How can that be the summation of the *entire* Torah? In the Torah there are two types of commandment: those concerning our relationship with G-d Almighty, and those that govern our relationship with others. Loving your neighbour as yourself can indeed sum up the Mitzvot of interpersonal relationships.
But how does love of one’s neighbour enhance the Mitzvot between a person and G-d Almighty, for example Kashrut, Mezuzah, Praying, Shabbat and all the others?
Also: The Mitzvah to love another as yourself is itself difficult to understand. Is it *natural* to feel for another person like one feels for oneself? Is it humanly *possible*? Like yourself?
In Tanya (Chapter 32 - “Lev”) the Alter Rebbe (first Chabad Rebbe) explains that there is a way that enables us to perform this Mitzvah literally. To love another unconditionally, just as one loves oneself. It is through training ourselves to see the Neshama, the spiritual essence of everything as the true reality.
All the Neshamos (souls) come from the same spiritual Source. There, they are all one. Loving the other *is* loving oneself. When the right hand helps the left hand it is not helping another; it is helping itself.
See the other person not for any externalities or actions or thoughts, but for what they really are in essence: a Neshama which is part of my own Neshama.
How can we cultivate such a spiritual perspective on viewing others?
I think the life of Rabbi Lipskar was an example of that. He loved the Torah, G-d and his teacher the Rebbe so much, that he could sense the souls of others, be they world-leaders or incarcerated individuals. And together he and they would bring goodness and healing to the world.
In simple words: we should learn Torah and do mitzvos with the teachings of the Rebbe, because that literally gives us glasses of how to relate to the deeper reality of people's souls and make our destiny a redemptive one!
May his memory be a blessing and inspiration to bring that approach into our lives here in Rochester, and may his example guide us all in relating to others and bringing Redemption to the world.
Good Shabbos/Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yitzi Hein