Evan Moffic is the Rabbi of Makom Solel Lakeside Congregation in suburban Chicago. He is the author of seven books, including the national best-seller What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Jewishness of Jesus. He speaks regularly at churches and interfaith gathering across the country, and is the author most recently of Reading the Old Testament Through Jewish Eyes.
To learn more about how he plans to explore the theme, please read the article below:
Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” It sounds simple, almost familiar enough to overlook. But anyone who’s tried to live it knows it’s among the most difficult lines in all of Scripture. Who, exactly, is my neighbor? The person next door? The one who votes like me—or the one who doesn’t? What does it mean to love when we’re tired, fearful, or angry?
These aren’t new questions. They go back thousands of years. In the Jewish tradition, the way we explore such questions is through midrash—a practice of interpretation that treats Scripture not as a closed book but as a living conversation. Midrash begins where the text seems unclear or incomplete. It asks: what might God be saying between the lines? How does this verse speak to the world we inhabit right now?
It’s a privilege to draw from that rabbinic tradition in conversation with Christian educators—sharing wisdom and texts not widely known outside of the Jewish community, but that can add to our understanding of scripture. So what might midrash reveal about this most famous of commandments?
In Hebrew, the word translated as “neighbor” is re’a (רֵעַ). The rabbis offered many interpretations, but three have endured—and each offers a lens for our modern spiritual lives.
Neighbor as Community
The earliest interpretation understood re’a as a fellow member of the covenant community. To love one’s neighbor meant to love one’s own people—to build a society grounded in decency and shared responsibility. In an age when power often ruled by fear, the Torah insisted that holiness meant kindness in daily life. Rabbi Akiva called this “the great principle of the Torah,” not as a slogan but as a survival code: a people held together by compassion can withstand anything.
For educators and faith leaders, this first reading lands close to home. It reminds us that love begins with the people entrusted to our care—students, congregants, colleagues, families. Before we can teach universal compassion, we must cultivate it within our own communities.
Neighbor as Every Human Being
Over time, as Jewish life encountered other cultures, re’a began to expand. Later rabbis taught that every person is made b’tzelem Elohim—in the image of God. If that’s true, then “neighbor” cannot stop at the border of faith or tribe. It must include every human being.
This universal reading carries deep resonance for Christians as well. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus reframes the same question: “Who is my neighbor?” His answer echoes the rabbis’ insight—the one who acts with mercy, even across boundaries. Both traditions insist that love of neighbor isn’t only about affection; it’s about recognition. To love another is to see the divine spark within them.
In our divided world, this interpretation feels urgent. To love our neighbor today might mean extending grace to those we mistrust, refusing to reduce others to their opinions, remembering that behind every argument is a human story.
Neighbor as Mirror
A final, more mystical interpretation turns inward. The Hasidic master Baal Shem Tov taught that your neighbor is also your mirror. Whatever irritates or inspires you in another reflects something hidden within yourself. In this reading, “love your neighbor as yourself” is not only ethical but spiritual. It invites humility and self-awareness: before judging another, ask what they reveal about your own heart.