Love Your Fellow As Yourself Rabbi Jacob Fine

Ramban, Leviticus 19:18

‘But love your fellow as yourself…’ [This expression] is hyperbolic, because [in truth] a human heart is not capable of loving one’s fellow as oneself. Moreover, Rabbi Akiva has already taught elsewhere that, ‘Your own life takes precedence over the life of your fellow.’ Rather, the meaning of this mitzvah is that one should love his fellow in all matters, as one wishes only good for oneself [in every respect]. It is possible that since it does not say ‘and you shall love [et rei’acha] as yourself,’ but instead it likened them in the word ‘l’rei’acha’ [which literally means ‘for’ your neighbor], and similarly it states with reference to a convert, ‘and you shall love lo (him) [but literally: ‘for’ him as yourself,’ that the meaning is therefore to equate the love of both [himself and his fellow, or himself and the convert] in his mind. For sometimes a person will love his neighbor in certain matters, such as treating him generously concerning material wealth but not with wisdom and similar matters. But if he loves him completely, he will want his beloved friend to gain riches, properties, honor, knowledge and wisdom. However, [because of human nature] he will still not want him to be his equal, for there will always be in his heart that he should have more of these things than his neighbor. Therefore the Torah commanded that this degrading jealousy should not exist in his heart, but instead a person should love to do abundance of good for his fellow as he does for himself, and he should place no limitations upon his love for him.

Meor Eynayim: Hukat

If one sees in his fellow some negative feature or trait, he should hate this evil which is within this person, but he should love very much the holy aspect of this person in the same way that he loves himself. [On this subject] the Baal Shem Tov taught that a completely righteous person in whom there is absolutely no hint of evil to be found, does not ever perceive any evil in any other person. But someone who sees evil in his fellow, it is as if he is peering into a mirror--if his own face is filthy then he will see such an image in the mirror and, similarly, if his own face is clean he will not see any blemish in the mirror--as if he is looking at himself. And this is the meaning of the verse, ‘and you should love your fellow as yourself,’ just as if a person knows about himself that he has some evil quality within him--on account of this he does not hate himself entirely but rather hates the [specific] negative feature that is within him--so too one should behave towards his fellow (hating the feature not the person). Because in truth, everything is one. Does not your fellow have a part of Godliness in him like you do?!