One of the well known commandments of "Sanctity" is: "Veahavta lere'acha kamocha"; the usually known translation is: "You shall love thy neighbor as yourself". This is questionable, since:
1. Re'a is not neighbor; it's more like "friend" or "colleague", and some commentators even believe that this relates to all human beings
2. To love somebody else the way you love yourself seems to be very hard, if not impossible.
Therefore, most likely it should be translated: "you'll love your "neighbor" who is "kamocha", equal or similar to you", simply because he is a human being, created in G!s image. This of course also raises the question about the ability to love others if you don't love yourself and also who should be considered "similar" or "equal" to you.
Shabbat Shalom to all,
1. Re'a is not neighbor; it's more like "friend" or "colleague", and some commentators even believe that this relates to all human beings
2. To love somebody else the way you love yourself seems to be very hard, if not impossible.
Therefore, most likely it should be translated: "you'll love your "neighbor" who is "kamocha", equal or similar to you", simply because he is a human being, created in G!s image. This of course also raises the question about the ability to love others if you don't love yourself and also who should be considered "similar" or "equal" to you.
Shabbat Shalom to all,
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