In practice, it is impossible for us to know every one of our broader Jewish family and to actively express our love for them all. Rather, love and a sense of responsibility towards others are manifested from the inner circle outwards: first to one’s spouse, then immediate family, friends and more distant family, acquaintances and neighbors, and so on. How then does “Love your fellow as yourself” apply to the entire Jewish people? We are meant to feel kinship with all Jews, and to want the best for each one of them just as we want the best for ourselves. That way, if we do come across a fellow Jew in trouble and we are able to help, we will do so, just as we would want to be helped if the situation were reversed.
