וטעם ואהבת לרעך כמוך הפלגה כי לא יקבל לב האדם שיאהוב את חבירו כאהבתו את נפשו ועוד שכבר בא רבי עקיבא ולמד חייך קודמין לחיי חבירך (ב"מ סב) אלא מצות התורה שיאהב חבירו בכל ענין כאשר יאהב את נפשו בכל הטוב ויתכן בעבור שלא אמר "ואהבת את רעך כמוך" והשוה אותם במלת "לרעך" וכן ואהבת לו כמוך (ויקרא י״ט:ל״ד) דגר שיהיה פירושו להשוות אהבת שניהם בדעתו כי פעמים שיאהב אדם את רעהו בדברים ידועים להטיבו בעושר ולא בחכמה וכיוצא בזה ואם יהיה אוהבו בכל יחפוץ שיזכה רעהו האהוב לו בעושר ובנכסים וכבוד ובדעת ובחכמה ולא שישוה אליו אבל יהיה חפץ בלבו לעולם שיהיה הוא יותר ממנו בכל טובה ויצוה הכתוב שלא תהיה פחיתות הקנאה הזאת בלבו אבל יאהב ברבות הטובה לחבירו כאשר אדם עושה לנפשו ולא יתן שיעורין באהבה ועל כן אמר ביהונתן (שמואל א כ יז) כי אהבת נפשו אהבו בעבור שהסיר מדת הקנאה מלבו ואמר (שם כג יז) ואתה תמלוך על ישראל וגו'.
AND THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF. This is an expression by way of overstatement, for a human heart is not able to accept a command to love one’s neighbor as oneself. Moreover, Rabbi Akiba has already come and taught, “Your life takes precedence over the life of your fellow-being.” Rather, the commandment of the Torah means that one is to love one’s fellow-being in all matters, as one loves all good for oneself. It is possible that since it does not say “and thou shalt love ‘eth rei’acha’ as thyself,” but instead it likened them in the word ‘l’rei’acha’ [which literally means “to” thy neighbor], and similarly it states with reference to a proselyte, and thou shalt love ‘lo’ (him) [but literally: “to” him] as thyself, that the meaning thereof is to equate the love of both [himself and his neighbor, or himself and the proselyte] in his mind. For sometimes a person will love his neighbor in certain matters, such as doing good to him in 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 a desire in his heart that he should have more of these good things than his neighbor. Therefore Scripture 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-being as he does for himself, and he should place no limitations upon his love for him. It is for this reason that it is said of Jonathan’s [love for David], for he loved him as he loved his own soul, because Jonathan had removed [altogether] the attribute of jealousy from his heart, and he said [to David], and thou shalt be king over Israel, etc.
This is expounded on in the Gemara (Bava Metsia, 61b), where it says, “What is the need of the commandment, ‘You shall not steal,’ which the Torah wrote?—For that which was taught: ‘You shall not steal,’ in order to distress someone; ‘you shall not steal,’ even in order to repay double [and thus be giving him a gift].” Even though the one who steals from his fellow man did it with the intention of bringing him benefit, and not as one who would steal in order that his fellow man would lack (and he would gain), nonetheless, since God enjoins us not to steal, it is forbidden to try to be overly clever with God’s words and say that his intention was good. In every place where God forbade something, even if one does it with a good intention, it is called deviating from God’s will. Sometimes we find the ramifications of God’s law reaching a place that seems to man to be extraneous.
We find in the Gemara (Ketubot, 49a), “you cunning man [related to the word for thief], why do you go round and round? If you assert that the law is according to Rabbi Meir, then say that the law is according to Rabbi Meir.” Therefore it says, “I am Hashem,” meaning, know who decreed this over you, and thus you will not exaggerate the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, and you will not be overly clever with all that God has decreed forbidden. This is why this first order is used with the commandment (Vayikra, 20:27), “a man or woman who has a familiar or is a wizard.”
Even though it has already been written (Vayikra, 19:31), “do not turn to the familiars,” this additional verse comes so that one would not say, “I know the meaning of the mitzvot, for a familiar, ov, comes from the word for father, av, as in, ‘a father in wisdom,’ and a wizard, yedoni, comes from the word for knowing (yedia), meaning knowing how God conducts the forces of His world.” In this way he could trick himself into devising ways around the warnings of God.
This is like the passage in the Gemara about Shlomo haMelech (Sanhedrin, 21b), where he said, “I will increase my number of wives, and my heart will not be perverted.” Therefore God warns, “I am God,” know who decreed this over you.” This was written before the warnings about the familiar and the wizard. “And you shall keep My statutes, for I am Hashem who sanctifies you” (Vayikra, 20:8), this means that all the words of God’s are on the level of immutable, inscrutable statutes, which may not be disputed or questioned. If a man were to come and say, “since the words of God are so detailed down to a hair’s breadth, how can it be possible for a man to guard them?” To this our Parsha says, “I am Hashem your God,” which is saying, “I am with you. All that is in your power, go ahead and do.” Then everyplace where our actions can reach, there the Holy One, blessed be He, promises us that we will not transgress His will.
Therefore the Haftorah, the reading Prophets for this Parsha, says (Amos, Ch. 9), “are you not like the Cushites [Ethiopians], children of Israel, says Hashem. Did I not bring Israel out of the land of Egypt? And the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Aram from Kir? Except that I will not completely destroy the house of Yaakov, and not even the least grain shall fall upon the earth.” This is to say, everywhere that the intention of man was for the sake of Heaven, even though the action itself seemed the opposite, like stealing in order to pay back double, there God promises that this intention will not fall down to the earth, as in “and not even the least grain shall fall upon the earth.” Corresponding to the twenty declarations of God’s name in this Parsha, “I am Hashem,” Shlomo haMelech listed twenty things that he did not know (see Mishlei, 30:18–33).