On Love and the 613 Commandments

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

~Albert Einstein

 

Valentine's Day is tomorrow. "Valentine was a priest who was arrested by the Emperor Claudius. Following a theological debate about the merits of Christianity, Valentine was sentenced to live with a noble by the name of Asterius in a form of house arrest. With the help of God and true faith, Valentine miraculously restores the sight of his master's adopted daughter and, in doing so, converts Asterius and the 24 members of his house. When Emperor Claudius hears of this miracle and the subsequent conversions, he has Valentine killed." ~MyJewishLearning.com

This is a Catholic and not a Jewish holiday--however the concept of "love" itself is very Jewish in origins. My research led me to the following of the 613 Commandments from The Torah that discuss love. It is a miracle in my life to have righteous guidance on how to love--the Jewish way.

26.To love all human beings who are of the covenant (Lev. 19:18)
27.Not to stand by idly when a human life is in danger (Lev. 19:16)
28.Not to wrong any one in speech (Lev. 25:1...7)
29.Not to carry tales (Lev. 19:16)
30.Not to cherish hatred in one's heart (Lev. 19:17)
31.Not to take revenge (Lev. 19:18)
32.Not to bear a grudge (Lev. 19:18).
33.Not to put any Jew to shame (Lev. 19:17)
34.Not to curse any other Israelite (Lev. 19:14) (by implication: if you may not curse those who cannot hear, you certainly may not curse those who can)
35.Not to give occasion to the simple-minded to stumble on the road (Lev. 19:14) (this includes doing anything that will cause another to sin)
36.To rebuke the sinner (Lev. 19:17)
37.To relieve a neighbor of his burden and help to unload his beast (Ex. 23:5
38.To assist in replacing the load upon a neighbor's beast (Deut. 22:4)
39.Not to leave a beast, that has fallen down beneath its burden, unaided (Deut. 22:4)

There is a misnomer that Christians love God and Jews do not love God, rather we fear God. Jews are commanded to love God above all else and our fear of God comes from our awe of God's miracles--fear being a necessity to discourage sin. I love Adonai and often look for God in my environment and in people's eyes--their divine spark of life. Worshipping Adonai brings me into "the moment," the present, and when I am in the present looking for love, God always guides me to Judaism--I see Jewishness in my environment artistically and come into contact with God this way and then have gratitude: Thankfulness for seeing evidence of God. God is in everything good and bad. This is a miracle that I have been taught to experience Adonai everywhere. Even when I see something unpleasant--one can make lemonade out of lemons, so it is in our power given to us by Adonai to see good in everything and thereby we can experience Adonai's love for us everywhere. When I experience God with my senses, I am at peace. When I help another human being I am also at peace. "Love your neighbor," is the true bottom line and essence of Torah.