Maghen Abraham - Thoughts From Mayer Sasson

One Torah

"… and love your neighbor's well being as it were your own…" (19,18

In the gemara it is told about a gentile who came before Shamai. He said to him – Convert me, so you can teach me the entire Torah while I am standing on one foot." He pushed him away. When he came to Hillel the Elder Hillel gave him wonderful advice and said, "That which is hated by you do not do to another." This is the mitzvah of "love your neighbor's well being as it were your own" and "That is the entire Torah". This is what Rabbi Akiva says, "Love your neighbor's well being as it were your own" is a great rule in the Torah, for it is truly the foundation of the entire Torah.

We therefore find at the giving of the Torah "And there Israel encamped before the mountain" and Rashi explains that the Children of Israel encamped before the mountain "like one person with one heart". We see that unity amongst Jews between one another is the basis of the entire Torah.

The Chid'a wrote that each person receives his portion of Torah at Sinai and if he is pious he will produce that which his soul received. No one else can say the new Torah idea because it is his portion that his soul received.

The Gaon of Vilna ob'm said that it says in the gemara that the fetus is taught the entire Torah. Before it comes into this world angel comes and hits his mouth to make him forget the entire Torah. The idea here is that a person is taught his portion of Torah that he is to clarify in the world and he is then made to forget it so that he merits to achieve his portion in Torah through toil and efforts.

We find that wholesomeness in Torah is only when all of Israel is unified. However if, G-d forbid, there is a separation in Israel, there will be a separation in all the parts of Torah.

We can now understand the request of the convert to Shamai and Hillel and their answers to him. He knows that every person in Israel has his special portion in Torah that belongs only to him and he therefore asked Shamai to "convert him so that he can teach him the entire Torah while he stands on one foot". He wanted to achieve, not only his portion in Torah but all parts of all of Israel in wholesomeness. Shamai therefore pushed him away for that is not possible for one person, for each person has only his portion of his Torah that he received at Sinai.

However when he came to Hillel the Elder Hillel gave him wonderful advice how to achieve the entire Torah by telling him, "That which is hated by you do not do to another", i.e. fulfill the mitzvah of "love your neighbor's well being as it were your own", to love all of Israel as one person and thereby it will be considered as if he achieved all parts of the Torah. That is what is written "As one person with one heart" to allude to the fact that if there is unity in Israel, they are like one person with one heart. Therefore when a person loves his neighbor as himself knowing that we are all responsible for one another like one body with one heart – then if his neighbor fulfills a certain mitzvah that he cannot, it is considered as if he fulfilled this mitzvah as well.

SHABBAT SHALOM!!!