LEV733 Self-esteem must include self-love. The Torah's most famous law, "Love your neighbor as yourself" [this verse] commands us to love the people among whom we live. But implicit in "as yourself" is the command to love ourselves. As a rule, if people don't like themselves, they will be less kind to others. For example, has there ever been an abusive parent with a decent self-image? People who despise themselves are more likely to mistreat others than are those with a positive self-image, particularly when their self image derives, at least in part, from seeing themselves as people of good character.