#TieBlog Aharei Mot-Kedoshim “Love Your neighbor as yourself”

In Leviticus 19 we learn the command to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (v.18). The tie represents a neighborhood of people–some feeling loved and others not so. Our task in life is to create more smiles and loving kindness.

Aharei Mot-Kedoshim is read this year in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing. It is horrifying to witness such utter hatred and blatant disregard for the “Golden Rule.” At the same time, it is inspiring to see how people in the face of tragedy respond to do good. Exhausted runners having just run more than 26 miles ran to tend to the wounded. Bostonians opened up their homes to tourists or suburbanites who couldn’t leave the city. The Mayor of Boston left his own hospital bed to tend to his shocked city. This Shabbat, let’s all think about what we can do to bring more loving kindness into the world.