CEC Retreat 2025: V'ahavta L'reiacha Kamocha
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ShareWhat is love? Understanding love through the lens of romance, love of children, love of God and God's love of us, loving our neighbor and finally love of self. Modern Israeli Music and Sacred Text.
What is אהבה Loveׁ? Romantic, love of parents for children, God's love for us and ours for God, love of our neighbors, and even love of ourselves...
For the complete Jewish Songs of Love playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/60ChjJz9L4VnhDWXF0eHt5?si=c002f4d4b24c4aed
Ahava by Robert Indiana, gifted to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem
ROMANTIC LOVE
יִשָּׁקֵ֙נִי֙ מִנְּשִׁיק֣וֹת פִּ֔יהוּ כִּֽי־טוֹבִ֥ים דֹּדֶ֖יךָ מִיָּֽיִן׃
Oh, give me of the kisses of your mouth, For your love is more delightful than wine.
Mitachat Lashamayim by David Broza
Banu lechan, mitachat lashamayim, sh'nayim- kemo zug einayim.
Yesh lanu zman, mitachat hashamayim, beinataim- anu od kan.
At va’ani (x3) vehamitah harechava latet ahava.
Lailah va’yom (x3) vehachiyuch mitnatzel she’hu mitatzel.
Shneinu echad (x3) echad shalem ve’agol shalem vegadol.
Boi niten (x3) ani eten lach latet latet li latet lach.
Velamrot hapa’ar velamrot hake’ev velamrot hatza’ar ani ohev
ve’ohev…(x2)
Under the Sky by David Broza
We came here, from under the sky, two – like a pair of eyes.
We have time, under the sky. In the meantime – we’re still here.
You and me (x3) the bed is wide, there’s lots of room for love.
Night and day (x3) and the smile apologizes for his laziness.
We are one (x3) one complete unit together perfect and great.
Come let’s give (x3) I will let you give. Let me give to you/let you.
Despite the gap, despite the pain, despite the regret, I love and love and love….
LOVE OF PARENTS
וְשִׁנַּנְתָּ֣ם לְבָנֶ֔יךָ וְדִבַּרְתָּ֖ בָּ֑ם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ֤ בְּבֵיתֶ֙ךָ֙ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ֣ בַדֶּ֔רֶךְ וּֽבְשׇׁכְבְּךָ֖ וּבְקוּמֶֽךָ׃
Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up.
Chaim Sheli Music by Smadar Shir, Lyrics by Moshe Datz, performed by Zehava Ben
CHAIM SHELI
Ani noshemet et ha'or shelach, chaim sheli
noshemet amok el toch halev
rotzah lishmor otcha karov elai, chaim sheli
lehagen alecha mitzel shel ke'ev
Ani to'emet et hadaysah shelcha, chaim sheli
k'mo chalah shel shabat metukah
shetamid akadem otcha, chaim sheli
im ugah vechibuk uneshikah
Ki ein ba'olam ahava kmo ahava shel ima
ve'ein ba'olam de'aga kmo de'aga shel ima
ve'ein ba'olam mi sheyohav otcha kmo ima
rak ima shelcha.
Ani cholemet et hachiyuch shelcha, chaim sheli
cholemet shetamid techayech
mah lo hayiti osah bishvilcha, chaim sheli
kedei shemimeni af pa'am lo telech
Ki ein ba'olam...
MY LIFE
I'm breathing your light, my life
breathing it deep into the heart
I want to keep your near to me, my life
to defend you from the shadow of pain.
I'm tasting your porridge, my life
sweet as a Sabbath challah
that I may always welcome you, my life
with a cake and a hug and a kiss
For there's no love in the world like mom's love
and there's no worry in the world like mom's
and there's no one in the world who loves you alike,
only your mom.
I'm dreaming of your smile, my life
I'm dreaming that you'll always smile
what wouldn't I do for you, my life
so that you'd never walk away from me
For there's no love in the world...
OUR LOVE FOR GOD
Nafshi by Ishay Ribo and Motty Steinmetz
Nafshi chamdah b'tzel yadecha,
Oi lada'at kol raz sodecha.
Yerav na sichi aleicha,
ki nafshi ta'arog aleicha.
My soul
My soul yearns for the shade of Your hand,
Oh! To know all the mysteries of Your secrets.
Let my words please be sweet to You,
Because my soul longs for You.
GOD'S LOVE FOR US
Ahavat Olam - Everlasting Love
אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל עַמְּ֒ךָ אָהָֽבְתָּ תּוֹרָה וּמִצְוֹת חֻקִּים וּמִשְׁפָּטִים אוֹתָֽנוּ לִמַּֽדְתָּ: עַל כֵּן יהוה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ בְּשָׁכְבֵֽנוּ וּבְקוּמֵֽנוּ נָשִֽׂיחַ בְּחֻקֶּֽיךָ וְנִשְׂמַח בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָתֶֽךָ וּבְמִצְוֹתֶֽיךָ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד: כִּי הֵם חַיֵּֽינוּ וְאֹֽרֶךְ יָמֵֽינוּ וּבָהֶם נֶהְגֶּה יוֹמָם וָלָֽיְלָה: וְאַהֲבָתְ֒ךָ אַל תָּסִיר מִמֶּֽנּוּ לְעוֹלָמִים: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אוֹהֵב עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל:
Everlasting love You offered Your people Israel by teaching us Torah and mitzvot, laws and precepts. Therefore, Adonai our God, when we lie down and when we rise up, we will meditate on Your laws and Your commandments. We will rejoice in Your Torah for ever. Day and night we will reflect on them for they are our life and doing them lengthens our days. Never remove your love from us. Praise to You, Adonai, who loves Your people Israel.
- translation from Mishkan T'filah, CCAR Press
Ahavat olam beit Yisra'el amcha ahavta, Torah umitzvot chukim umishpatim otanu limad'ta. Al ken Adonai Eloheinu b'shochveinu uv'kumeinu nasi'ach b'chukecha, venis'mach b'divrei torat'cha uv'mitzvotecha le'olam va'ed. Ki hem chayeinu ve'orach yameinu uvahem neh'geh yomam valaila. Ve'ahavatcha al tasir mimenu le'olamim, Baruch ata Adonai, ohev amo Yisrael.
LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF
לֹא תִקֹּם וְלֹא תִטֹּר אֶת בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ
וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ
אֲנִי יהוה׃
Don’t take revenge or hold a grudge against your fellow citizen,
Love your neighbor as yourself,
I am God.
Love your fellow. The verb for love, ahav, is here followed by the preposition using the letter lamed (“l” in English). This form is found in only four cases in the Bible; Abraham Malamat notes that in all four cases, there is an implication of action, not just feeling (“You Shall Love…,” 1990). See, for example, Leviticus 19:34, where Israelites are commanded to love the foreigner in their midst, which implies merciful and kind action.
D'vash from Hadar Institute on Parashat Kedoshim:
What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? What’s the mitzvah? And how does it connect to the first half of the pasuk (verse)?
"וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ" - לֹא הֻזְהֲרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִלַּעֲשׂוֹת לְחַבְרֵיהֶם אֶלָּא דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ חָפֵץ לַעֲשׂוֹת לְעַצְמוֹ:
“Love your neighbor as yourself” - We are only told not to do to others things that we wouldn’t want to be done to ourselves.
וְאִם יִהְיֶה אוֹהֲבוֹ בַּכֹּל יַחְפֹּץ שֶׁיִּזְכֶּה רֵעֵהוּ הָאָהוּב לוֹ בְּעֹשֶׁר וּבִנְכָסִים וְכָבוֹד וּבְדַעַת וּבְחָכְמָה.
וְלֹא שֶׁיִּשְׁוֶה אֵלָיו אֲבָל יִהְיֶה חָפֵץ בְּלִבּוֹ לְעוֹלָם שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הוּא יוֹתֵר מִמֶּנּוּ בְּכָל טוֹבָה. וִיצַוֶּה הַכָּתוּב שֶׁלֹּא תִּהְיֶה פְּחִיתוּת הַקִּנְאָה הַזֹּאת בְּלִבּוֹ.
If you love someone completely, you want that beloved friend to have riches, property, honor, knowledge, and wisdom.
However [because of human nature it is likely that] you wouldn’t want that person to be equal to you. In your heart you might still want to have more than your friend in all these good things. That’s why the Torah commands you not to have this jealousy in your heart.
- Rashi thinks of it as giving us a minimum. At the very least, you should not harm your neighbor, just like you would not want to be harmed by anyone else. That’s the least you can do for others.
- Ramban thinks of it as a bigger command. Help your neighbor to enjoy all the best things in life. Go above and beyond for them, just like you would want them to go above and beyond for you.
LOVING OURSELVES
Teaching of Rabbi Jericho Vincent:
I’ve always been struck by the word kamocha in the verse:
"V’ahavta l’rayacha kamocha"
Love your neighbor like yourself
The text could have just said: love your neighbor.
Kamocha, “like yourself,” adds an essential ingredient. It tells us: you cannot love your neighbor if you do not love yourself. You must love yourself, so that from that love, you love your neighbor. It tells us: if you are finding it impossible to love your neighbor, that might point to an essential lack of self-love. The relationship we have with ourselves and the relationship we have with our neighbors is reflective and interactive. The more we blindly hurt our neighbors, the deeper harm we inflict on ourselves.
