We left off yesterday with the point that it’s a Mitzvah to love every Jew, even the unknown, unnamed Jew. How does that work?
The Mesilat Yesharim, in chapter 19, makes a powerful statement, which beside explaining why we love a Jew, gives us an incentive to love a Jew.
“God only loves people who love Jewish people.“
And this is not just a general love.
“The more you increase your love for the Jewish people, the more Hashem will increase His love for you.”
That is a powerful statement, and a great incentive for us to love the Jewish people. Everyone wants to be loved by Hashem. There are levels and levels of love. Hashem’s love for you gets stronger, depending on how much you love the Jewish people. This is quite an incentive! We all want to be loved by Hashem. And this makes it easier to love people- even the difficult ones. Imagine a teacher who has a child in his classroom that is very difficult to deal with. But the child’s father is a billionaire, and for the past 10 years, starting in preschool, the child’s father would buy the teacher a summer home, if the teacher treated his son nicely. If that were the case, that teacher would surely find a way to put more effort into this child. He’d really want that summer home!
So too, if I love the Jewish people, even the difficult ones, Hashem loves me! Isn’t it worth it, to get the love of Hashem, which brings with it all the bounty in the world? And not to be just slightly loved Hashem, but to be exceedingly loved by Hashem.
He says that those people that love the Jewish people are the true leaders, that Hashem loves and wants very much; those that pray for the Jewish people, to undo evil decrees, that pray for the Jewish people, to open up the gates of bounty and blessing.
That is a great incentive for us, to love the Jewish people. When you love the Jewish people, God Himself loves you!