Why Loving Every Jew Is So Essential to Our Healing

The Chofetz Chaim, in many of his writings, explains that the root cause of the destruction of the Temple was hatred without cause. He teaches that the way to heal this deep wound is by reducing hatred and increasing love for every person from Israel. This will help bring us closer to redemption and to the rebuilding of the Third Temple. In his small but powerful booklet Love of Israel, the Chofetz Chaim devotes five chapters to explaining just how serious this kind of hatred is.

The Chofetz Chaim opens the first chapter with the commandment from the book of Leviticus: “You shall not hate your brother in your heart.” This is a negative commandment—forbidding us to hold hatred inside toward another Jew. He explains that this commandment refers specifically to internal feelings. If someone insults or even strikes another person, while that’s clearly wrong, it doesn't fall under this particular commandment. What it’s really warning us against is silent resentment. Instead of staying quiet and allowing anger to fester, we are commanded to speak calmly and honestly: "Why did you do this to me?" And after expressing it gently, to let it go and clear it from our heart. This mitzvah (commandment) applies always, everywhere, and to everyone.

The term “your brother” includes every person from Israel. As taught in Avot of Rabbi Nathan (16:5), we should not say, “I love this Jew but hate that one.” We’re taught to love all Jews—whether they are wise or simple. The only exception is those who deny the Torah and God’s involvement in the world, whom the Torah itself calls heretics. King David, in Psalms (139:21), expresses this as well: "Do I not hate those who hate You, Hashem?" But in general, our love should extend to every fellow Jew.

The Chofetz Chaim teaches that unjustified hatred brings spiritual harm. Each time we fulfill a mitzvah, it brings holiness to the part of the body used to do it. The more mitzvot we do, the more our whole being becomes holy, as it says in Numbers 15:40: “So that you may remember and perform all My commandments and be holy to your God.” But when we sin, it brings impurity to the body. Our Sages taught that listening to improper speech brings spiritual damage to our ears. In fact, every limb involved in a sin is affected by impurity.

But the heart is different. It’s the very center of life. Without a heart, a person cannot live. That’s why hatred without cause—which takes root in the heart—is so serious. It doesn’t just harm one part of a person; it affects their entire being. It brings impurity not only to the heart, but to all the body.

The Chofetz Chaim also explains that this isn’t just a spiritual matter. This kind of hatred can lead to great suffering in this world as well. The Talmud (Shabbat 32) teaches that because of needless hatred, a person may experience terrible strife in the home. It can lead to miscarriages and the loss of children at a young age. These are heartbreaking consequences of a sin that many don’t even realize they’re carrying.

He paints a vivid example: if someone were to harm a beloved child, the parent would naturally be furious and might even hate the one who caused the pain. But what if the parent themselves is unknowingly the source of their child’s suffering—through harboring hatred? And yet they feel no urgency to stop or even reflect on the damage. The Chofetz Chaim laments: "Woe to him, where is his understanding?"

That’s why the Chofetz Chaim urges us to be so careful with this. We must do all we can—heart and soul—to distance ourselves from unjustified hatred. If we succeed, it will bring us blessing in this world and in the next.