We are studying the Mitzvah of Avahat Yisrael, using the Bet HaLevi’s manuscript. He continues and tells us that the Gemara in Masechet Shabbat tells us regarding the Mitzvah of Veahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha/ Love your friend like you love yourself שֶׁהִיא כְּלָל כָּל הַתּוֹרָה כֻּלָּהּ It includes the entire Torah within it. There is more than one way to understand this. The Bet Halevi tells us כִּי הִיא מוֹנַעַת הַקִּנְאָה וְהַכַּעַס מִלֵּב וְכַדּוֹמֶה It stops from our hearts, jealousy, anger and the like. The Bet HaLevi chooses these two difficult Middot , jealousy and anger, and tells us that the remedy for these two bad character traits is Ahavat Yisrael- loving your fellow Jew. There is a principle that the Baalei Mussar tell us, which I heard from Rabbi Wolbe, based on a pasuk - ס֣וּר מֵ֭רָע וַעֲשֵׂה־ט֑וֹב Stay away from evil, and do good. Simply this means- stay away from evil, and then do good. Don’t worry about doing acts of hesed while you are shooting people. First you have to stop the bad, and then you can work on doing good. That’s the simple way to understand this pasuk. But Rav Wolbe explained, from the Baalei Mussar, that ס֣וּר מֵ֭רָע וַעֲשֵׂה־ט֑וֹב The way to get away from evil is by doing good. For example, one way a person who gets angry can work on this middah is by not getting angry. Another way is to work in talking softly. Work on doing something on the positive side. By working on the positive, the negative will disappear. That is what the Bet HaLevi is telling us here. The power of Ahavat Yisrael is that by working on the positive, you take away the negative. The Bet HaLevis idea is also found in the sefer Reshit Hochma, a Kabbalist from the era of the Arizal (Shaar Ha’Anava chap 4): הסבה הגדולה המונעת הכעס והשנאה הסבה והקנאה מהלב הוא כאשר יסתכל האדם בדעתו לקיים מצות ( ויקרא יט , יח ) ואהבת לרעך כמוך The great cause that stops anger, hatred and jealousy from entering the heart- is when a person focuses on the Mitzvah of Veahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha. Putting emphasis on this Mitzvah will ameliorate the bad Middot of jealousy, anger and hatred. This is very important. These are difficult Middot to work on. But if you work on the positive, Veahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha, it will cause the other traits to dissipate. The Sefer Midrash Shemuel reads this into a Mishnah in Perkei Avot (perek ב ) Rav Eliezer says, יְהִי כְבוֹד חֲבֵרְךָ חָבִיב עָלֶיךָ כְּשֶׁלָּךְ Your friend’s honor should be dear to you like your own, וְאַל תְּהִי נוֹחַ לִכְעֹס And don’t be easily angered.” The Midrash Shemuel says that the Tanna is telling us that if we want to acquire the trait of not getting angry, we should work on respecting our friends. Then, love him like you love yourself, and you won’t get angry.