“HaShem loves Klal Yisrael like His most precious family” (Micha 7:18).
The Midrash (Shir HaShirim) teaches that He calls us “My daughter, My sister, My mother.” Even when we stray, HaShem declares: “How can I punish My children? Their pain is My pain.” As the verse says: “In all their suffering, He suffers with them” (Yeshayahu 63:9). And it is written: “His soul could no longer bear the suffering of Israel” (Shoftim 10).HaShem cannot endure our distress or disgrace—for we are His family. How do we internalize this profound truth?
Just as HaShem relates to us as one beloved family, so too, all of Klal Yisrael must see ourselves as one soul. Our neshamot are bound together in a single spiritual essence.
Therefore, it is fitting that: - A person should desire goodness for his fellow, as for himself.
- He should rejoice in his friend’s honor as in his own.
- He should never wish for his friend’s downfall, nor speak ill of him.
For in truth, one’s friend is an extension of oneself. This is why HaShem commanded: “Love your fellow as yourself” (Vayikra 19:18). Because we are one “super soul,” love for another is, in essence, love for oneself.
Today: Thus, we are called to feel our friend’s pain as our own and to celebrate his joy as our own—just as HaShem feels with us, in both suffering and in blessing. (Tomer Devorah, Chapter One)
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