Leviticus 19:18

June Laub

Leviticus 19:18

“Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. I am the Lord.”

I was surprised to see the full line that includes “love thy neighbor as thyself.” I have always tried to live by that, however I had never taken the time to understand the saying’s origin, or read the full sentence it’s a part of. This Mitzvah speaks of repentance and forgiveness. “Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear grudge” is something that isn’t easy to do. It is a huge thing for God to ask of the Jews and is a concept I have recently been working on implementing in my life. Though it can be hard to let go of anger, once you do, it can simplify things and bring clarity. “The children of thy people” is a message of unity, and reminds us that the people around us are a part of our community, our people. While “love thy neighbor as thyself” refers to kindness towards neighbors, it also mentions self-love. It implies you should love yourself as much as you love your neighbor, and vise versa. It is the two parts together that gives the verse its significance. Especially lately, I have been conscious of how I think of myself and of others, and it has helped me gain a different and less judgmental perspective.

I didn’t originally plan to use a quote. I looked up “love thy neighbor as thyself” to come up with ideas. This Audrey Hepburn quote summed up my ideas nicely. Self love and the love of others are intertwined and depend on each other to function. They are equally important, and serve similar purposes, as two hands do. They work together to accomplish amazing things. Apart they are far less effective. Also, the fact that it says “as you grow older” is important as it brings up the fact that understanding this relationship between the two “hands” takes time and a certain level of maturity.