We mentioned yesterday that the Mitzvah of Veahavta L’Re’echa Kamocha/love your friend like you love yourself is a wonderful Mitzvah, because we have the opportunity to fulfill it every second of the day. Based on the words of the Bet HaLevi, we can apply the Elder of Kelm who tells us that it’s a separate Mitzvah to love every single Jew. One might be bothered by this. If you don’t know the person, have never even seen them, and they are far away, how can you get a Mitzvah for loving an unknown, unseen Jew? It’s almost like getting a Mitzvah for loving an invisible man! The Meshech Chochma gives a beautiful answer, based on the pasuk of Veahavta L’Re’echa Kamocha , which has the words “ Ani Hashem” “ Love your friend like you love yourself- I am Hashem.” We will see many explanations for why those words are needed. Our first is from the Meshech Chochma, which says that it says Ani Hashem, because you have to love Hashem. But have we ever seen God? No. Can we fathom God? No. Can we grasp God with our senses? No. And yet, we have a commandment to love Hashem. So too, Hashem says, Veahavta L’Re’echa Kamocha-Love your friend. Every Jewish soul should be dear to you- even though he might be far, far away; Even though you’ve never seen him; Even the ‘invisible’ Jew should be loved by you. Love the Jewish people (we will learn more about how to do that in our next lesson). The point is that the person does not have to have a face. You fulfill the Mitzvah of Veahavta L’Re’echa Kamocha even for the faceless Jew. If you see a Jew walking down the street, even if you only see his back, and notice that he has a kippa, or a talit, say, “ I love that man!” If you see a car pass by with a bumper sticker that says, “ I am the proud parent of a student at Such-and-Such Yeshiva ,” you can think, “ I love that family, ” even if the windows on their car are tinted black and you can’t see inside. And, if you walk by a house, do like Rabbi Miller teaches. If you see a mezuzah on the door say, “ I love all the people that live in this house.” Even if you don’t know what their names are. It doesn’t make any difference. Veahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha doesn’t need a name or a face, just like, “ Ani Hashem.” What a wonderful, wonderful thought from the Meshech Chochma, in Vayikra, on this pasuk of Veahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha. Have a wonderful day.