also learn to love those who are not us. That is not always easy, but being Jewish has never been easy.
In Hebrew numerology, the letter vav has the numerical value of six. If we imagine each of these three commandments preceded by a vav— and add them together— we arrive at eighteen, the number associated with chai, the Hebrew word for life.
Perhaps the Torah is teaching us something profound.
The path to a fulfilling life, a fulfilling Jewish life, includes loving ourselves and our neighbors. It also involves loving those who are different, and ultimately, and only then, loving God.
This reflection was adapted from a Times of Israel Post which was first published on November 27, 2015.
Rich Moline is Director of Institutional Advancement at Chicago Jewish Day School. He dedicates this piece to his immigrant grandparents and great grandparents.
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