Declaring Each Morning to Commit to Fulfill “Ve’ahabta Le’re’acha Kamocha”

The Arizal taught that one should begin the Shaharit service each morning with a declaration that he commits to fulfill the Misva of "Ve'ahabta Le're'acha Kamocha" ("Love your fellow as yourself" – Vayikra 19:18) by loving each and every Jew with all his heart and soul. The text of this declaration appears in many editions of the Siddur. The reason it is proper to introduce one's prayers with this declaration is that it helps ensures the acceptance of our prayers through their joining the prayers of the rest of Am Yisrael. When a person prays, he might individually be unworthy of being granted his requests. But when he prays as part of the congregation, and as part of the Jewish Nation as a whole, then his Tefilot rise to the heavens as part of the prayers of Am Yisrael, such that it comes before G-d with the collective merit of the Jewish People. In order to do this – to pray not as an isolated individual, but as part of Am Yisrael – one must emotionally bond with the rest of the nation, and this requires loving each of his fellow Jews. Thus, declaring one's love for his fellow Jews before the Tefila helps ensure the acceptance of his prayers. The question, though, arises as to how a person can make this declaration if there are people whom he does not like. Many people have been hurt by others, feel they have been wronged, or are embroiled in fights and conflicts. They cannot honestly say that they love each and every fellow Jew as they love themselves. Can a person recite this declaration before the morning prayers knowing that there are people whom he does not actually love? This question was brought to Hacham Ovadia Yosef, and the questioner asked if perhaps the text of the declaration should be altered to avoid making a dishonest proclamation. Hacham Ovadia replied that traditional prayer texts should not be tampered with, and so this declaration should not be altered. He felt that one should recite this declaration with the hope that this daily pronouncement will eventually impact him to the point where he genuinely loves each and every Jew. Even if at the present moment there are people whom he does not love, he may recite the declaration because with time, the words will penetrate his heart and inspire him to overcome his hard feelings toward those whom he dislikes, to the point where this declaration will be entirely genuine and truthful. Incidentally, this question also arises with regard to the declaration customarily made before one goes to sleep, announcing that he forgives anyone who had wronged him in any way. Sometimes, a person is still angry with somebody over something he did or said, and is as yet incapable or unwilling to forgive. Hacham Bension Abba Shaul (Jerusalem, 1924-1998) ruled that in such a case, a person should not recite the nighttime forgiveness proclamation, as this would be dishonest. (Another example is the passage in the Selihot prayers when we ask Hashem to store our tears – "Sima Dim'ati Be'nodecha," even though most people do not shed tears while reciting Selihot. Hacham Ovadia writes that it is acceptable to recite this text during Selihot because it could refer to the tears that will be shed on Yom Kippur, as the vast majority of people who pray sincerely cry at some point during the Yom Kippur service.) It is worth noting in this context the fascinating interpretation of the verse "Ve'ahabta Le're'acha Kamocha" given by Rav Haim Palachi (Turkey, 1788-1868). He explained this command based on a story that happened in his time, when three businessmen moved from his city, Izmir, to Eretz Yisrael. All three were the leading figures in the industries in which they worked, and so when they left, the smaller businessmen assumed that they now had an opportunity to grow their enterprises. After all, as these three men had the largest businesses, their customers would now be looking elsewhere for their merchandise. Rav Haim Palachi warned them, however, not be so confident. Sometimes, he said, an industry leader brings blessing to the entire industry, which affects even the smaller businesses. Although it might seem that the largest proprietor is limiting the profits of the smaller vendors, this is not necessarily the case, as he could be the conduit through which Hashem sends His blessing to the entire industry. Sure enough, all three industries declined after these businessmen left. Whereas the smaller businesses assumed that they would prosper, the exact opposite occurred. Rav Haim Palachi explained the command of "Ve'ahabta Le're'acha Kamocha" on this basis. It means that we must love our fellow who is "Kamocha" – like us, involved in the same line of work or in the same industry. We must love even our competitors – because they're not actually our competitors. Hashem is capable of providing everyone with sufficient sustenance, and, moreover, the person who appears to be our competitor might actually be the one bringing the blessing down to our industry. Thus, the command to love our fellow, which we recite each morning, refers to all people, even those whom we might feel justified in resenting, because we must believe that Hashem has enough goodness to bestow upon us all, and a competitor's success has no harmful effects on us whatsoever.