Hillel the Sage proffers this commonplace
for the entirety of the human race
Never judge your friend
until you’ve ‘been in his place’
So, open the door and see what’s inside
Does tranquility prevail
or is something cockeyed
In you, dear reader, I shall confide
Folks oft remind me of Jekyll and Hyde
A poor soul approached who was singing the blues
He asked, 'What does God no longer want me to do?'
'What is hateful to you, do not do to others
All the rest is commentary, my dear brother'
He said, 'I've never heard it that way before
When you've time, I'd like to hear more'
Though I thanked the blues singer very much ~
Hillel's words, not mine, his heart touched
_____________________________________
Hillel was a Talmudic Sage of the 1st Century
BCE. On the brink of the Sabbath one late Fri-
day afternoon, a stranger asked him: 'Tell me
the Torah on one foot.' Hillel replied, 'What is
hateful to you do not do to others. All the rest
is commentary. Go and learn.' (Talmud,
Shabbos 31a)
Love your friend* as yourself
That is the whole Torah**
The rest is commentary
How can that be?
We are commanded to love God too
with all our heart, soul, and might***
So how is just loving your friend
to Almighty God not a slight?
The answer, of course, lies in the verse --
Who is the friend you can count on
Through thick and thin, through bad and worse?
~ Why, that friend is God, foremost and first ****
_______________________________________
*Leviticus 19:18: 'Love your friend as yourself,'
The word ' your friend' (Hebrew, rey-eh'cha) is
often mistranslated into English as 'your neighbor.'
In Biblical and Talmudic Hebrew, 'rey'us' always
refers to friendship. 'Shakhen' is 'neighbor.'
**This is how the Sage Hillel responded to a
fellow who wanted to be taught the whole
Torah while standing on one leg. (See Talmud
Shabbos 31a).
***Deuteronomy 6:5
****See Proverbs 27:10: 'Do not forsake your
friend and your father's friend...' (Your father's
friend is God Himself -- Rashi's Commentary).
Love your neighbor as yourself
The entire Law, per the Sage Hillel
Before you take another book off your shelf
Take time to study this Levitical Law well
First of all, it's not 'advice;' it's a Law, a Precept
No less binding than 'Thou shall not steal'
A Commandment no matter how hard must be kept
He loves your neighbors; so must you: That's the deal
To love another, you must love yourself first
Focus on positives; build self-esteem
A negative attitude will lead you to the worst
Project positivity -- Self-confidence is no dream
Now you're ready to love others as yourself
To mourn sad times together; to celebrate glad
And by loving the Lord's fellow creations
You'll be beloved amongst His Congregation
"Love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord."
~ Leviticus, 19:18
Hillel the Sage was destitute
Although his mind was sharp, astute
Chopped wood to earn his daily bread
Then studied 'til he went to bed
The Golden Rule Hillel devised
Be kind to others; That is wise...
Treat everyone exactly as
~ You'd want them to treat you
Iambic Tetrameter
Note: The name, "Hillel,' is accented
on the second syllable in correct Hebrew
The very first words of the Ten Commandments are: “I am”.
What could be more definite?
God exists,
And, thereby, the entire universe came into being.
The ‘big question’ is answered,
We exist in a world that was created for a purpose.
What is that purpose?
Read on, dear friends.
The very last words of the Ten Commandments are: “your neighbor”.
Nothing high and lofty here,
But quite close to home.
We are each to be neighbors -- to God and to each other.
As Hillel taught, “What is hateful to you, do not do unto others.
All the rest is commentary.
Go now, and study it!”
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