The Picnic

Many people look at the mitzvah of Ahavat Yisrael– loving your fellow Jew – as some nicety from children’s books. Then, they turn around and allow themselves to hate, disdain, despise, and discredit those other Jews who may be different from them or who belong to a different group. And heaven forbid that the color of their skin or the color of their kippah should be different…

Those who fit the above description are following in the footsteps of the Yetzer Hara, the Evil Inclination. The Evil Inclination is more than happy for you to be frum – particularly stringent – in the area of the food you eat. Don’t trust anyone other than your own group’s kosher certificate. Think that anyone else is a heretic. Oh yes – you can learn Gemara and even Tosefot all day as long as you don’t smile or say hello to any Jew who doesn’t belong to your narrow circle.

The Yetzer Hara loves super-stringencies because they keep a person constantly frowning. In fact, the Yetzer will let you do anything as long as you don’t strengthen your emuna and love your fellow Jew. Why? Emuna and Ahavat Yisrael are the double-lane expressway to Hashem. Emuna and Ahavat Yisrael are also the direct route to happiness.

Conversely, you will always find that a frowning person lacks both Emuna and Ahavat Yisrael. Such a person is a prisoner in the Yetzer’s jail. Yet, he doesn’t realize what he’s missing, especially if he considers himself frum.

Breslever thought teaches that our entire quality of life depends on loving every Jew. People forget that unconditionally loving every Jew is a commandment of Torah no less important than tefillin or eating kosher. Even more, just as Ahavat Yisrael is a positive commandment, there is a separate negative commandment against harboring hate in one’s heart against a fellow Jew. Transgressions of these mitzvot, insofar as they fall into the category of the mitzvot between man and fellow man – are not forgiven on Yom Kippur, unless the transgressor asks forgiveness from his fellow human. That’s no joke…

Rebbe Nachman teaches (see Likutei Moharan I:34d) that every Jew has a unique quality that no one else has, in other words, a special good point.

Every Jew is like a letter in the Torah. One who culls another Jew is therefore ruining the Torah scroll, because one ruined letter renders the entire Torah scroll unfit.

In all fairness, people are blind to the Yetzer’s ploy. Go ahead and be frum – all you want – as long as you disdain fellow Jews. That way, you’ll never get close to Hashem. Too bad that such people forget that we’re all children of Hashem; the Torah says so. One who dislikes another Jew is telling Hashem that he dislikes Hashem’s children. How would you feel if someone told you that he or she couldn’t stand your children? Is there a more painful insult?

Since we don’t yet love each other, the Holy Temple remains destroyed. Hashem would much rather have us love each other than pound our chests in lamentations.

Rebbe Nachman’s principle that every Jew has a unique quality that no one else has is the key to a quality life. How? When we connect with another Jew, we benefit from his or her particular unique quality. Here’s how:

Imagine that you have 100 loaves of bread only, with nothing else. You can eat one or two loaves a day, but that’s all. Along comes your friend, and he has 100 bottles of mineral water. You become friends; he gives you a bottle of water and you give him a loaf of bread. You are both delighted, because a minute ago, he had nothing to eat and you had nothing to drink. Cooperating and sharing, you both now have bread and water, food and drink.

Now comes along a third friend; he has a basket full of tomatoes, and he joins the party. All three of you are now enjoying fresh bread, mineral water, and sliced tomatoes.

A fourth friend has 100 fresh steaks, but no way to cook them. A fifth friend has a 100-pound sack of charcoal, but he certainly can’t eat charcoal. A sixth friend is a tinsmith and welder; he has no food, but he builds a superb grill and joins the party. A seventh friend has paper plates, and eighth friend brings plastic cutlery, a ninth friend contributes salt, pepper and condiments, and a tenth friend brings a luscious chocolate cake for dessert. Friend number eleven comes with Turkish coffee, happily joining the group. A twelfth friend brings a keg of five-year old Golan Merlot wine and a thirteenth friend comes with a sack of potatoes on his back. A fourteenth friend comes with a guitar, and a fifteenth friend brings a flute…

Now look what happens: instead of being hungry and alone, our group is now having a wonderful picnic with steak skewers on the grill, fresh bread, French fries, fine wine, and Turkish coffee and cake for dessert. Not only that, but they’re enjoying music, singing and dancing. What could be better?

Only a fool would sit alone and starve. Only a fool doesn’t take advantage of all his brothers’ and sisters’ good points.

You don’t have to be a professor of sociology to understand that loving each other makes life a pleasure. With Ahavat Yisrael, unity and cooperation, life can be a delightful picnic. Come join the fun.