LEV702 We are obligated to love fellow Jews. Rambam writes: "We are obligated to love every single fellow Jew as ourselves, as the Torah states, 'Love your fellowman as yourself.' Therefore, we must praise others [although it is ordinarily commendable to praise others, there are times when it is not permitted to do so. We should not praise someone in the presence of someone who dislikes him, for the person who dislikes him is apt to disparage him. Furthermore, it is improper to praise someone excessively, for either you or the listener might be tempted to add something derogatory to qualify or refute the praise. Moreover, we must not praise a person in the presence of a group, since someone in the group is apt to say something derogatory about this subject of praise. Chofetz Chayim, ch. 9 and Guard Your Tongue, pp. 109-110)], and we must care about their money just as we care about our own money and our own dignity. Whoever derives honor from humiliating someone else, loses his share in the world become." (Hilchos Daios 6:3). The commandment of loving your fellow man can be fulfilled at all times, every single second of the day. Any favor or kindness that you do for someone is a fulfillment of this commandment. But the commandment can also be fulfilled through thought. When you are happy about the good fortune of someone else, it constitutes an act of loving your fellow man. For instance, if you hear that someone just gave birth to a child and you feel happy, you fulfill this commandment. The same applies when someone suffers misfortune. If you feel sad because of his suffering, you fulfill this commandment. These thoughts are permissible at all times, even in places where it is forbidden to think thoughts of Torah. By fulfilling this commandment properly, a person can easily amass thousands upon thousands of mitzvos. (Yesod Veshoresh Hoavodah 1:7,8). The difficulty of feeling this commandment lies in the fact that most people are inclined to be jealous of others. When they hear about someone's good fortune (for example, he became wealthy or received great honor), their jealousy is aroused and prevents them from being sincerely happy. Therefore, it is extremely important for a person to work on rectifying his trait of jealousy. Another important factor that will enable a person to love his fellow man is judging them favorably. For if even once you do not judge someone favorably, you will no longer be able to feel a complete love for him. (ibid.). The Baal Shem Tov used to say: "'Love your fellow man as yourself.' You know that you have many faults, nevertheless, you still love yourself. That is how you should feel toward your friend. Despite his faults, love him." (Likutai Avraham, p. 221). Your behavior towards someone should be based on his feelings, not your own. If someone would want something to be done for him, even if you yourself would not need or want it, you should do it for him. The same applies in the negative. Even if you would not mind if someone said or did a particular thing to you, you must not do or say it to someone who will be bothered by it. (Pele Yoatz, section ahavah). [Transcriber's note: Author provides extensive discussion of "some of the fundamental details" of the commandment to Love one's fellow man, with numerous examples.]

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LEV714 You are forbidden to refuse to lend any article when motivated by revenge. This applies even if you do not explicitly say that you are taking revenge. Similarly, if you lend the article but think to yourself that you are unlike the borrower who refused your request, you are guilty of bearing a grudge. The Torah prohibits feelings of animosity even though nothing is actually said. (Shaarey T’shuvah 3:38; Yad Haktanah, Daios 7:14)

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LEV724 We are forbidden to take revenge or bear a grudge. Rabbi Moshe Chayim Luzzatto writes that it is very difficult for a person not to take revenge. People are sensitive to humiliation and suffer greatly from it. To a person who was wronged, revenge is sweeter than honey. To go against one's nature and not take revenge when one is able to, but rather to forgo the entire incident takes great strength of character. This is easy only for angels who do not have human attributes and shortcomings. Nevertheless, it is the King's decree; the verse states so explicitly, and needs no interpretation [this verse]. Not only must you lend your possessions to someone who has refused to lend you his, but you must completely forget about the person's refusal. The evil inclination wants the incident to leave its mark, or at least be partially remembered. The evil inclination will tell you that even if you do bestow a favor on someone who refused you, at least do not do so cheerfully or do not assist him too much, or do not become too friendly with him. Therefore, the Torah writes, "Love your fellowman as yourself," literally as yourself, without distinction. (Mesilas Yeshorim, ch. 11). ... We are required to emulate God. Although a person sins and goes against God's will, He still bestows life upon that person. Moreover, at the very moment the person sins, God is endowing him with the ability to move his limbs and thus enables him to transgress! Therefore, if you do someone a favor and that person goes against your wishes, emulate God and continue to perform chesed. (Tomar Dvorah) [Transcriber's note: Author provides discussion of prohibition against revenge and bearing a grudge.]

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LEV779 We are obligated to honor Torah scholars and the aged. This verse requires us to honor a Torah scholar, even if he is not aged, and an elderly person, even if he is not a Torah scholar (Kidushin 32b). Old in this verse does not merely refer to someone who is elderly; it also refers to mature in wisdom. A young scholar sees with his wisdom what the average person sees with his years (Chinuch 257). Failure to show respect toward Torah scholars is a very serious matter. Rabbi Akiva had 24,000 students--all Torah scholars--who died within a thirty-three day period as a punishment for not treating each other with proper respect (Yevomos 62b). [Transcriber's note: Author provides details regarding how to fulfill this commandment].

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LEV816 We are forbidden to deceive anyone when measuring or weighing. The Torah forbids us to deceive both Jews and non-Jews when measuring or weighing (Choshen Mishpot 231:1; Chinuch 258). Furthermore, it is the fulfillment of a positive commandment to weigh and measure accurately (Chinuch 259). The Talmud states that the punishment for inaccurate measuring is more severe than the punishment for incest. Someone who committed incest can repent. Complete repentance for someone who constantly deceives the public in weights or measures, however, is almost impossible, since it is obligatory to return that which was stolen to every individual who was cheated. (Bava Basra 88b and Rashbam). The Chofetz Chayim wrote a pamphlet entitled Kuntros Midos Umishkolos on this topic. He wrote that the enumerated scales, weights, ephah and hin to stress the severity of this prohibition; every type of deception being explicitly prohibited. A person must be very careful to ensure that whenever he sells something, he gives the customer the correct amount. A storekeeper must make sure that his weights are clean, since whenever something sticks to a weight it will be inaccurate. (Choshen Mishpot 231:12). Rabbi Yisroel Salanter said, "Just as the Rabbi of a city is responsible for checking the knives of the shochtim (ritual slaughters) for blemishes, so too must he check the weights and measures of the storekeepers." (Tnuas Hamussar, vol. 1, pp. 304-5).

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LEV906 A Torah scholar's behavior must be beyond reproach. The Rambam writes: "There are other things that are a profanation of God's name. When a pious Torah scholar does things which cause people to talk against him, even if the acts are not transgressions, he profanes God's name. Examples of this are when such a person buys something and does not pay promptly when he is able to pay and the seller asks him for payment, or when he does not speak pleasantly to others and does not receive them with a pleasant facial expression, but is quarrelsome and easy to anger. The greater the man, the more careful he must be with his behavior. Such a person should go beyond the letter of the law in his dealings with others." If a Torah scholar will be careful about his behavior, will speak pleasantly to people, act friendly toward them, receive him with a pleasant facial expression, will refrain from retorting when he is insulted, will honor those who treat him with disdain, will be honest in his business dealings, will constantly devote himself to Torah study, will always go beyond the letter of the law, and will avoid extremes and exaggerations, then he will be praised and beloved and others will desire to emulate him. This man has sanctified God. About him it is written, 'And He said to me, "You are my servant, O Israel, in whom I shall be glorified."' (Yeshayahu 49:3)." (Hilchos Yesodai Hatorah 5:11)

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LEV923 A host should allow his guest to take as much or as little food as he wishes. This verse contains two commandments that the owner of the field is obligated to fulfill. He must leave over paiah, that is, he must leave part of this crop unreaped for the benefit of the poor. He must also leave leket (gleanings), that is, if one or two ears of corn happen to fall to the ground at the time of reaping, they must be left for the poor. The most familiar illustration of the implementation of this law is found in the Book of Truth. Rashi comments on the phrase "You shall leave," that you should leave it for them and they will gather it, but you should not aid any one of them. Rashi tells the owner of the field that he must not hand the produce to the poor man. Rather, he must allow him to take it by himself. Rabbi Chayim Zaitchik explains that by this means the needy individual will escape the humiliation of being handed charity. Instead, he will feel that he is just taking what is his due by Torah law. Rabbi Zaitchik adds a practical application to this principle: when someone serves a guest, you should behave in a similar fashion. You should not force food onto the guest, thereby making him feel uncomfortable. Rather, he should allow his guest to take as much or as little as he wishes.

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LEV944 We are forbidden to damage property, and are held liable if we do. 1) You may not damage the property or belongings of others. (Choshen Mishpot 378:1). [This] verse states that a person is held financially responsible for damage he causes, but does not explicitly state that it is forbidden to damage. Rabainu Yonah (commentary to Pirke Avos 1:1) writes that all acts of damaging are included in the prohibition against stealing. The Yad Rama states that damaging others is a violation of the commandment to love our fellow man. Rabbi Yisroel Yaakov Kaniewsky writes that we learned it is forbidden to damage from the commandment to return lost objects. If we are obligated to return lost objects to their owner, then surely we must not damage something that belongs to another person. (Kehilos Yaakov, Bava Kamma 1). 2) If you damaged someone's property or possessions, you must pay him regardless of whether or not you derived any benefit from your actions. (Choshen Mishpot 378:1). 3) You are held responsible even when you caused damage accidentally. For example, you are held liable for damage if you trip and fall on top of someone's belongings and thereby break them (ibid.). However, since there are exceptional instances of accidental damage when a person is not held liable (such as when a person is climbing up a strong ladder and a rung slips out causing the person to fall and break something -- Choshen Mishpot 378:3) a halachic authority should be consulted whenever a question arises. 4) You are held liable for damage you caused regardless of whether you caused damage with your hand, foot, or body or if you caused damage by throwing a stone, shooting an arrow, or squirting water. (ibid. 384:1). 5) If you are banging something with a hammer and a fragment shoots out and causes damage, you are responsible to pay. (ibid. 384:2). 6) Reuven has a document which verifies that Shimon owes him money. If you burn that document and consequently Reuven will be unable to collect the loan, you must pay Reuven the amount that was stated in the document. Even though you only burned a piece of paper, the damage is assessed according to the loss suffered by the owner of the document. (ibid. 386:2)

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LEV982 We are forbidden to deceive or cheat others. This verse forbids us to cheat others when buying or selling (Chinuch 337). The laws of this prohibition are complex, and a halachic authority should be consulted whenever a question arises. Below are some of the essential details of this commandment: [Transcriber's note: Author provides many details and examples.].

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LEV1001 We are forbidden to hurt the feelings of others. This verse prohibits words that will cause anguish (Bava Metzia 58b) even if they will not cause embarrassment (Chofetz Chayim, Introduction, B'air Mayim Chayim 14). The Torah writes: "You shall fear your Lord," because at times a person might say something that appears to be an innocent remark while in reality he maliciously says it to cause someone anguish or pain (Rashi). Below are the basic laws of this prohibition: [Transcriber's note: Author provides many details and examples.]

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