In Parshat Kedoshim it states, “You shall not take revenge…against the members of your people.” The Gemara Yerushalmi explains: “One was cutting meat, and the knife struck his hand, (injuring it). Will [the injured hand] come back and hit his [other] hand?” Hence, as the Korban Haedah seems to explain, the same way it is unthinkable that one would take revenge on his other hand that caused the injury, so too, since all of Am Yisrael are one body, it is illogical for one Jew to take revenge on his fellow Jew, since doing so is like taking revenge on himself.

We may see from here that if one takes revenge and hurts another Jew, he is essentially taking revenge on and hurting himself since all of Am Yisrael are one body. Moreover, Rav Henach Leibowitz seems to derive from the Gemara Yerushalmi that every Jew is capable of reaching the level of Ahavat Yisrael where he loves his fellow Jew—even if his fellow Jew has caused him much pain—the same way he loves his own hand (Chidushei HaLev, Kedoshim 19:18). We perhaps see that we are able to maintain such a love for Jews that might have hurt us, to the extent that we would never even think of taking revenge against them the same way we would never think of taking revenge against our own hand that injured our other hand.

R’ Moshe Chaim Luzzatto writes: “Hatred and revenge, as well, are very difficult for the deluded heart of human beings to avoid. For a person is very sensitive to his humiliations and suffers great pain [because of them], and [thus,] revenge is sweeter to him than honey, for it alone gives him comfort [from the pain]” (Mesilat Yesharim, ch. 11). It may be suggested that truly understanding and internalizing that we, Am Yisrael, are one body is perhaps one way of lessening and overcoming the desire to take revenge and may even lead to loving all Jews—even those who might have caused us pain—the same way we love ourselves.

Binyamin is a graduate of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan, and Wurzweiler School of Social Work.