A “neighbor” is not just any person; it is my friend who stands opposite me, and I gradually begin to achieve love for him in order to come to love for the Creator.

It is a strict formula: first I turn to the Creator, and in order to connect with Him, I unite with my friends, my “neighbors.”

I work on love for my neighbor because it is a prerequisite for reaching love for the Creator!

The neighbor and the Creator are interconnected because relative to my desire to receive, they hold an equal position. They are equidistant from me, and I feel the same way about both of them!

The Creator is entirely bestowing, and the neighbor seems to me just as hateful as the quality of bestowal. Therefore, I reject them both.

If I do not reach the point where I relate equally to the Creator and to the neighbor, I will not be able to work correctly. It is like aligning a sight, bringing my view, the front sight, and the target into one line.
If I am more inclined toward either the Creator or the neighbor, I am no longer aiming properly.

I must align myself precisely with the target so that the one striving for the Creator (Israel), the light of correction, and the Creator unite into a single whole.

A neighbor (a Kabbalistic group) is the spiritual vessel, the system of souls, while the Creator is what fills this system.

But then I realize that they are one and the same, because the vessel becomes like the light. There is no light without a vessel, without a Kli! And for me, everything merges into one.

The group becomes an example of the Creator for me. Through my attitude toward them, I learn how to relate to Him: whether to love or hate Him.

After all, the only possible attitude toward the Creator is one of bestowal. And here, the group is provided for me to test how much I am in a state of bestowal.

What creates the distance, the difference, between the Creator and the group? Only my own egoism! If it were not for my ego, there would be no distinction between them.

Why do I still feel a difference? Because I receive some pleasure from the Creator but none from the group. That is the entire difference!
[14715]
From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/26/10, Writings of Rabash “What Does the Rule “Love Thy Friend as Thyself” Give Us”

Related Material:
Love For Your Neighbor
Love For Your Neighbor In The Literal Sense
According To The “Love Thy Neighbor” Formula

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