LEV555 It is a negative commandment not to hate in one's heart any decent person in Jewry as Scripture says, You shall not hate your brother in your heart [this verse]. And should one man sin against another, he should not bear hatred for him in his heart and keep silent. Instead, it is a religious duty for him to inform the other person and tell him, "Why did you do thus–and–so to me?" And he should erase the hatred from his heart. If, however, he saw the other person committing a sin, whereupon he warned him, but the other did not turn back, it is then a religious duty for him to hate the other one (since he does not conduct himself as "your brother").

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LEV560 See [[EXOD807]] Exodus 23:5 enemy SINAI2 23

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LEV561 See [[GEN1450]] Genesis 37:4 speak AMJV 129

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LEV548 [This verse] says one may not hate in one's heart. The hatred, when permitted, must be in the open and the "enemy" must be openly confronted, according to Maimonides (Sefer Hamitzvot #302). Nachmanides (commentary on this verse) says that if a person confronts the object of his or her hatred, in all probability the reason for the anger will be out in the open, which will lead to a reconciliation. Even if a reconciliation does not come about, the person hating will feel better.

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LEV562 See [[LEV700]] Leviticus 19:18 love BLOCH 6

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LEV554 Hatred and vengeance are also very difficult to escape, since one's heart is very easily enticed [by them]. A person is very sensitive to his humiliation and feels extreme anguish. [Under these conditions] vengeance becomes as sweet as honey since it is his only respite. Therefore, if he finds the strength to flee the urgings of his nature and to override his own feelings so as not to hate the one who has evoked the hatred within him, and he neither takes revenge when the opportunity arises nor bears a grudge, but instead he disregards all this and removes it from his heart as if it had never existed, there goes a strong and courageous individual. This is something which is easy only for the ministering angels, among whom the aforementioned traits do not exist, but not for dwellers of the physical world who were formed from the earth. Nonetheless, it is the King's decree, and the verses are clearly spelled out and need no elucidation [this and following verse]: "You must not hate your brother in your heart. You must not take revenge, nor harbor a grudge against the members of your people." Concerning vengeance and bearing a grudge, we know that vengeance means refraining from acting kindly toward someone who has denied him kindness or has actually harmed him. And bearing a grudge means that while repaying a harmful deed with a good deed, one reminds the other party of the harm that he committed.

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LEV553 Do not harbor hatred towards your fellow Jew. Concealed hatred is worse than observable hatred, so the Torah particularly warns against harboring hatred in one's heart. [He who lets his hatred show does not violate this command, but he does violate the negative commands, “Do not bear a grudge” (לא תטר) and “Do not take vengeance” (לא תקם). Moreover, he also violates the positive command, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”] … hatred in one's heart causes many serious problems between people. It gives rise to every type of slander, informing and talebearing, and no trait is more evil and abominable to any thinking person.

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LEV564 The charge that Judaism limits the law of love to Jewish neighbors is contradicted not only by Leviticus 19:34 and Deuteronomy 10:19 but also by the whole emphasis of Judaism on love and brotherhood as basic elements in its ethical tradition. Hillel's teaching that man must love his fellow creatures and bring them near unto the Torah clearly includes all mankind under the law of love. The charge of misanthropy which, as we noted, was refuted by Josephus, reappeared in different form in the New Testament. Matthew 5:43 ascribes these words to Jesus: "Ye have heard that it was said, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thy enemy, 'but I say unto you, Love your enemies." (Continued at [[EXOD796]] Exodus 23:4 enemy COHON 213)

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LEV565 The doctrine of the brotherhood of man carried with it the obligation of universal benevolence. The most humane legislation regarding the treatment of the indigent, the handicapped and the stranger appears in Leviticus 19. The high-minded provisions reached a climax in the great commandment: [this and next verse]. These laws not only apply to a brother Jew but also to a stranger. Going beyond Deuteronomy 10:19, Leviticus 19:34 commands [see verses]. Brotherly love must be extended to foreigners as well as to fellow Jews. The spirit underlying this legislation is strikingly expressed by the last of the canonical prophets. Malachi (2:10) pleads: "Have we not all one Father? Hath not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, Profaning the covenant of our fathers? While the prophet naturally addressed himself to his Jewish contemporaries, his words assumed universal significance. Job 31, describing the ideal religious personality, speaks of the consideration which he manifests toward his servant: "Did not He that made me in the womb make him? I did not One fashion us in the womb? – Verse 15. For the masters of post-Biblical Judaism the belief in the Fatherhood of God spelt the common brotherhood of man.

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LEV558 See [[DEUT205]] Deuteronomy 6:5 heart DUTIES 13-15

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