(א) וַיְהִ֗י אַחַר֙ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה וְהָ֣אֱלֹקִ֔ים נִסָּ֖ה אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֔יו אַבְרָהָ֖ם וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הִנֵּֽנִי׃ (ב) וַיֹּ֡אמֶר קַח־נָ֠א אֶת־בִּנְךָ֨ אֶת־יְחִֽידְךָ֤ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַ֙בְתָּ֙ אֶת־יִצְחָ֔ק וְלֶ֨ךְ־לְךָ֔ אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּ֑ה וְהַעֲלֵ֤הוּ שָׁם֙ לְעֹלָ֔ה עַ֚ל אַחַ֣ד הֶֽהָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֹמַ֥ר אֵלֶֽיךָ׃
(1) Some time afterward, God put Abraham to the test, saying to him, “Abraham.” He answered, “Here I am.” (2) “Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you.”
(ב) וַיֹּאמַ֡ר אֶרְחׇמְךָ֖ ה' חִזְקִֽי׃
(2) He said: I adore you, O Eternal, my strength.
(יג) כְּרַחֵ֣ם אָ֭ב עַל־בָּנִ֑ים רִחַ֥ם ה' עַל־יְרֵאָֽיו׃
(13) As a father has compassion for his children, so the Eternal has compassion for those who fear God.
Like the seal upon your hand.
For love is fierce as death,
Passion is mighty as Sheol;
Its darts are darts of fire,
A blazing flame. (7) Vast floods cannot quench love,
Nor rivers drown it.
If a man offered all his wealth for love,
He would be laughed to scorn.
A certain man was saying as he walked: When our love was strong, we could have slept on the width of a sword. Now that our love is not strong, a bed of sixty cubits is not sufficient for us.
Rav Huna said: Verses are written that convery this. Initially, it was written: “I will meet with you there and I will speak with you from above the Ark Cover” (Exodus 25:22), and it is taught: The Ark was nine handbreadths, and the Ark Cover was one handbreadth. So there were 10 handbreaths here.
(טז) כָּל אַהֲבָה שֶׁהִיא תְלוּיָה בְדָבָר, בָּטֵל דָּבָר, בְּטֵלָה אַהֲבָה. וְשֶׁאֵינָהּ תְּלוּיָה בְדָבָר, אֵינָהּ בְּטֵלָה לְעוֹלָם. אֵיזוֹ הִיא אַהֲבָה הַתְּלוּיָה בְדָבָר, זוֹ אַהֲבַת אַמְנוֹן וְתָמָר. וְשֶׁאֵינָהּ תְּלוּיָה בְדָבָר, זוֹ אַהֲבַת דָּוִד וִיהוֹנָתָן:
(16) All love that depends on a something, [when the] thing ceases, [the] love ceases; and [all love] that does not depend on anything, will never cease. What is an example of love that depended on a something? Such was the love of Amnon for Tamar. And what is an example of love that did not depend on anything? Such was the love of David and Jonathan.
(18) You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against members of your people. Love your fellow as yourself: I am the Eternal.
(33) When strangers reside with you in your land, you shall not wrong them. (34) The strangers who reside with you shall be to you as your citizens; you shall love each one as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I the Eternal am your God.
(4) Hear, O Israel! the Eternal is our God, the Eternal alone. (5) You shall love your Eternal God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
"And you shall love your neighbor as yourself": Rabbi Akiva says: This is an all-embracing principle in the Torah. Ben Azzai says: (Bereshith 5:1) "This is the book of the generations of Adam" — This is an even greater principle.
There was another incident involving one gentile who came before Shammai and said to Shammai: Convert me on condition that you teach me the entire Torah while I am standing on one foot. Shammai pushed him away with the builder’s cubit in his hand.
Then he came before Hillel. He converted him and said to him: That which is hateful to you do not do to another; that is the entire Torah, and the rest is its interpretation. Go study.
(ג) מִצְוָה עַל כָּל אָדָם לֶאֱהֹב אֶת כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל כְּגוּפוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא יט יח) "וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ". לְפִיכָךְ צָרִיךְ לְסַפֵּר בְּשִׁבְחוֹ וְלָחוּס עַל מָמוֹנוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא חָס עַל מָמוֹן עַצְמוֹ וְרוֹצֶה בִּכְבוֹד עַצְמוֹ. וְהַמִּתְכַּבֵּד בִּקְלוֹן חֲבֵרוֹ אֵין לוֹ חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא:
(3) Each man is commanded to love each and every one of Israel as themselves as [Leviticus 19:18] states: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Therefore, one should speak the praises of [others] and show concern for their money just as one is concerned with one's own money and seeks one's own honor.
Whoever gains honor through the degradation of a colleague does not have a share in the world to come.
(ד) אַהֲבַת הַגֵּר שֶׁבָּא וְנִכְנָס תַּחַת כַּנְפֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה שְׁתֵּי מִצְוֹת עֲשֵׂה. אַחַת מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא בִּכְלַל רֵעִים וְאַחַת מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא גֵּר וְהַתּוֹרָה אָמְרָה (דברים י יט) "וַאֲהַבְתֶּם אֶת הַגֵּר". צִוָּה עַל אַהֲבַת הַגֵּר כְּמוֹ שֶׁצִּוָּה עַל אַהֲבַת עַצְמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ו ה) "וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ". הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַצְמוֹ אוֹהֵב גֵּרִים שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים י יח) "וְאֹהֵב גֵּר":
(4) Loving a convert who has come to nestle under the wings of the Shechinah [fulfills] two positive commandments: one for they are[also] included among the "neighbors" and one because they are a convert and the Torah (Deut.10:19) states: "and you shall love the converts."
[Thus, God] has commanded us concerning the love of a convert just as God has commanded us concerning loving God's self as [Deuteronomy 11:1] states: "and you shall love your Eternal God." The Holy Blessed One loves converts as [Deuteronomy 10:18] states: "and God loves converts."
(18) [God] upholds the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, providing food and clothing.— (19) You too must love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
For the rabbis, themselves living under foreign rule, it may have been inconceivable to imagine a situation in which Jews constituted the majority and non-Jews needed protection. Perhaps for this reason, the rabbis reconstructed the biblical mandate to protect the stranger as a warning not to discriminate against converts to Judaism. Such is the nature of the world: in times of personal struggle, it becomes difficult to look outward. Ultimately, the lesson implicit both in the biblical protections of sojourners, and in the rabbinic re-imagination of the ger as a convert, is that history imposes obligations. For the bible, the experience of not being fully secure in Egypt obligates the Jewish people, now secure in their own land, to care for those who remain perpetually on the outside. Though we may reject the rabbis’ disregard for non-Jews, we can at least learn from the rabbis that our own history of imperfection should prevent us from feeling superior to others. Within the American context, many Jews have reinterpreted the word “ger” as “immigrant.” Here, the idea that history imposes obligations is extended to reminding Jews that our own community once occupied the position now held by newer immigrant groups.
“And you shall love the Eternal your God...” (Deuteronomy 6:5). It was taught: Rabbi Eliezer says: If it is stated: “With all your soul,” why does it state: “With all your might”? if it stated: “With all your might,” why does it state: “With all your soul”? Rather, if one’s body is dearer to a person than their own property, therefore it is stated: “With all your soul”. And if one’s money is dearer than their body, therefore it is stated: “With all your might”. Rabbi Akiva says: “With all your soul”: Even if God takes your soul.
What is the proper [degree] of love? That a person should love God with a very great and exceeding love until their soul is bound up in the love of God. Thus, they will always be obsessed with this love as if lovesick.
[A lovesick person's] thoughts are never diverted from the love of that woman. He is always obsessed with her; when he sits down, when he gets up, when he eats and drinks. With an even greater [love], the love for God should be [implanted] in the hearts of those who love God and are obsessed with God at all times as we are commanded [Deuteronomy 6:5: "Love God...] with all your heart and with all soul."
This concept was implied by Solomon [Song of Songs 2:5] when he stated, as a metaphor: "I am lovesick." [Indeed,] the totality of the Song of Songs is a parable describing this.
ואהבת AND THOU SHALL LOVE — Fulfil Divine commands out of love, for one who acts out of love is not like the one who acts out of fear. One who serves their master out of fear, if the master troubles them overmuch, leaves them and goes away.
[With] unbounded love You have loved us Eternal, our God; [With] great and abundant pity have You pitied us. Our Parent, our Sovereign! for the sake of our ancestors who trusted in You, and whom You taught statutes of life, so too, be gracious to us and teach us. Our Parent, merciful Parent, Who acts with compassion have compassion on us and put into our hearts to comprehend, and to be intellectually creative, to listen, to learn, and to teach, to preserve, to practice, and to fulfill all the words of instruction in Your Torah with love. And enlighten our eyes in Your Torah, and cause our hearts to hold fast to Your commandments, and unify our hearts to love and fear Your Name; and may we never be put to shame, for in Your holy, great, and awesome Name— have we trusted; may we exult and rejoice in Your deliverance. And bring us to peace from the four corners of the earth and lead us upright to our land. Because, You are the Almighty, Who performs acts of deliverance, and You have chosen us from among all peoples and tongues, and You have brought us close to Your great Name, forever in truth; that we may give thanks to You, and proclaim Your Oneness, with love. Blessed are You, Eternal God, Who chooses God's people Israel with love.
[With] An everlasting love You loved the House of Israel, Your people. You taught us Torah and commandments, statutes and laws. Therefore, Eternal, our God, when we lie down and when we rise, we will discuss Your statutes, and rejoice in the words of Your Torah and in Your commandments forever. For they are our life and they lengthen our days, and on them we will meditate day and night. [May] Your love never be removed from us. Blessed are You, Eternal Who loves God's people Israel.