We continue with our daily inspiration on the Mitzvah of Veahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha/ Love your friend like you love yourself. The Sefer Mitzvot Hakatan (Mitzvah ח , written by a Rishon) mentions a Midrash that says there are two opinions as to what the Klal Gadol/ Fundamental Rule of the Torah is. Rabbi Akiva says that it’s Veahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha/love your friend like you love yourself. But Ben Azai, who happened to be Rabbi Akiva’s son in law, thought בצלם אלקים עשה את הא דם / Man was created in God’s image was an even greater Klal/ Rule . In other words, since man was created in God’s image, respect him. What was Ben Azai trying to add? The Sefer Mitzvot Hakatan says, על פי שאינו מקפיד על כבוד עצמו יש לו להקפיד על כבוד חבירו If a person doesn’t care about his own self respect in a certain area (for example, imagine someone who wouldn’t be offended if he was called “fatso”), that doesn’t mean they can treat another person that way. (in our example, although he doesn’t mind being called “fatso,” he is not permitted to call someone else by this title). But based on the wording of Veahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha/ Love your friend like you love yourself, one might think that if he doesn’t mind a certain indignity ( such as being called “fatso,”) he is allowed do it to others. But that’s wrong. Man was created in the image of God. So, forget about you, and how you think. Look at him the way he is. The Hida, in his commentary on the Sefer Chasidim, adds to this. He cites the famous discussion in the Gemarah, where Hillel was asked what the greatest klal/rule was, and he answered, “ What you don’t want done to you, don’t do to your friend.” The Hida mentions this because he wants you to imagine that you are that person. How would you feel based on the way he looks at things. You know that if something bothers you, you wouldn’t want it done to you, so therefore, whatever bothers him, you shouldn’t do to him either. This is an important principle of Veahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha . You have to be able to get into the other person’s head. You have to carry the yoke of your friend . What is he feeling? What is he thinking? You have to be sensitive to the way he thinks and feels, even if you are the kind of person that wouldn’t be bothered by those same things. Thinking this way causes us to break out of our egos. We all tend to look at things through our own lenses. But sometimes, we have to view things through the other person’s lenses, and think about what his needs are. People often say that if you ask somebody whether they are hungry, it is because you are hungry. But just because you may have had a good breakfast today, that doesn’t mean that he ate breakfast. It may be 10 o’clock, and you have already eaten, but maybe this person hasn’t eaten yet. We have to break out of our own egos a little bit, and start looking at others the way they are. We have to stop looking at people through our own lenses. This was the added Hiddush of Ben Azai: Even though it says love him like you love yourself, it goes deeper than that. Have a wonderful day.