We continue with the concept that we mentioned yesterday, that the Torah definition of hate is not what we consider hate today- when one is fuming, and wants to kill the person. Hate means something less than love.
The Or HaChaim Hakadosh, in Vayikrah ( perek 19,17) says that the Torah tells us the shiur/ amount of Sina/hate, because everything in the Torah has a measurement. For example, there’s a certain amount that you can’t eat unkosher- a kazayit. Everything in our Torah has measurements, and it is all taught to us by God.
The Or HaChaim HaKadosh is telling us that Sina doesn’t mean that we wish bad for a person, or want him destroyed.. because we might reason that if we do wish him all the best, then that means we don’t hate him.
And we might think that if, in our hearts, we are a little distanced from a person, that it is not called hatred.
Therefore the Torah says, “Do not hate your brother.”
Why is it that it will comes to Ve’Ahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha/ loving your friend like you love yourself, it talks about a friend, but when it comes to hatred it switches to a brother?
The Or HaChaim HaKadosh answers that the amount of Sinah that Hashem wants us to stay away from is anything less than the feelings of a brother. If you have dropped from the level of brother, that is a ready hating. You have to feel like the person is your brother, that you have a positive connection with him, that you came out of the same womb, that you have the same parents. That brotherly love is what is necessary in order to be considered “Ahava/love” and that is why in Tehilim, it says,
הִנֵּה מַה־טּוֹב וּמַה־נָּעִים שֶׁבֶת אַחִים גַּם־יָחַד׃
How nice, how sweet, two brothers dwelling together.
This refers to Moshe and Aharon. When Moshe got his position, Aharon was so happy for him. He didn’t feel bad at all. In fact, it was the opposite. When Moshe was supposed to be the Kohen and then he lost it, and then put the oil on Aharon HaKohen, he felt like the oil was going down his head.
That is why it says, in the next pasuk,
כַּשֶּׁמֶן הַטּוֹב ׀ עַל־הָרֹאשׁ יֹרֵד עַל־הַזָּקָן זְקַן־אַהֲרֹן
Like the oil going down the beard, the beard of Aharon.
Why does it say beard twice?
Because while Moshe was putting the oil on Aharon HaKohen’s head, he felt like it was coming down his beard, even though it was the beard of Aharon.
That is the level of brotherhood, and that is what we are looking for. Anything less than brotherhood, says the Or HaChaim, is already considered hatred.
When we consider the levels that the Torah is requiring from us, we see why it is such hard work.
Have a wonderful day.