We continue in the Chafetz Chaim’s Sefer Ahavat Yisrael, chapter one, where he explains Don't hate your brother. Who's your brother? He says it’s Kol Adam B’Yisrael/all Jewish people, as it says in Avot D’Rebbi Natan, “Don't say, “This Jew, I like; this one, I don't like… I like Torah scholars, I don't like ignorant people..”
Rather, love all of them. One exception, is to hate the heretics. And actually in our prayers, every day we say Laminim V’Lamalshinim… to the heretics and the slanderers, there should be no hope.”
But of course, this is just a small sliver of the Jewish population. What is a “Min?” The Chafetz Chaim says it’s someone who's he denies the Torah of God and denies His supervision.
So as long as someone believes in the Torah and believes in God's Hashgacha, he is a card carrying Jew and he's not allowed to be hated.
The Rambam, in his commentary on Mishnayot Sanhedrin says, “As long as a person is not a heretic, he's part of the Jewish people, and one must love him, have mercy on him and all the love and brotherhood has to be focused on him.”
And he ends with these strong words: “Even if he did whatever it may be, he did a out of desire. This man is eating in unkosher restaurants….This man is living a life of promiscuity and immorality, but it's because he has a strong desire, or his Yetzer Hara overtook him. He's doing all kinds of fiendish activities, things that we can't even say with our lips, but he's still a believer.
There are a lot of believers that fall. There are a lot of believers that can't control themselves.
They have addictions, severe addictions, behavioral addictions, all kind of issues…. But as long as they're still believers, we have no right to hate them, and we have to love them. That's a tall order. David Hamelech says, “Who do I hate? Those that hate God, I hate.” Very few Jews fall under that category, that say, I hate God.
There are some, but they are few and far between. And therefore, we go back to our general rule: Any Jew you see is innocent until proven guilty, and you have to love him, regardless of what country he comes from. We can't stress that enough. People have a baseless hatred, a dislike or disdain for people that come from countries that they're not familiar with, or talk with a different accent, or eat different foods, and so on and so forth.
And none of those differences are an excuse for Sinat Hinam. The only excuse is if he goes under the category of someone who denies God's Torah and His supervision. And even then, if you find that man who came from communist Russia, who was trained in communist schools and doesn't believe, he has a different status- he’s called a Tinok Shenishba/, someone that was taken captive, and he's not responsible.
So you have to do your due diligence before you decide to hate. Err on the side of caution and love them.
Have a wonderful day.