CTeenConnection

By Koby Lerner

This week’s parsha, Kedushim, is the 18th chapter of the third book of the Torah which is the center of the Torah. Kedushim is only 64 verses, this is rather short for a Torah portion. In these 64 verses, 51 commandments can be found. These commandments range from the laws of kashrut to honoring your mother and father.

One of the most iconic lines in Torah is stated in this parsha: “Love your fellow, as you love yourself.” This statement is in the very center of the entire Torah, and is a commonly uttered phrase.

There is a story of the great sage, Hillel the elder. One day a man was passing through Jerusalem, where Hillel was a well known teacher. The man said to Hillel, “Teach the whole Torah to me while I stand on one foot.” Hillel took on the challenge. The man raised one foot from the ground and Hillel said, “Do not do unto others what you do not want done to yourself. The rest of the Torah is commentary. Now go out and learn!”

Loving your fellow as you love yourself is no easy task. However, it is a fundamental principle of our holy Torah. Deep in every Jew there is an innate love for others. Through doing kind deeds for others we will reveal this internal love for our fellow. I challenge everybody that reads this to do an extra act of kindness “just because.”

Shabbat shalom.