Torah Connection - Achrei Mot/Kedoshim

Another double parsha, including topics ranging from hunting to incest.  Since we are in the 3rd triennial, this year the reading is entirely from Kedoshim.

The parsha begins:

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them:
You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.
3 You shall each revere his mother and his father, and keep My sabbaths: I the Lord am your God.
4 Do not turn to idols or make molten gods for yourselves: I the Lord am your God.
5 When you sacrifice an offering of well-being to the Lord, sacrifice it so that it may be accepted on your behalf. 6 It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it, or on the day following; but what is left by the third day must be consumed in fire. 7 If it should be eaten on the third day, it is an offensive thing, it will not be acceptable. 8 And he who eats of it shall bear his guilt, for he has profaned what is sacred to the Lord; that person shall be cut off from his kin.
9 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I the Lord am your God.
11 You shall not steal; you shall not deal deceitfully or falsely with one another. 12 You shall not swear falsely by My name, profaning the name of your God: I am the Lord.
13 You shall not defraud your fellow. You shall not commit robbery. The wages of a laborer shall not remain with you until morning.
14 You shall not insult the deaf, or place a stumbling block before the blind. You shall fear your God: I am the Lord.
15 You shall not render an unfair decision: do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich; judge your kinsman fairly. 16 Do not deal basely with your countrymen. Do not profit by the blood of your fellow: I am the Lord.
17 You shall not hate your kinsfolk in your heart. Reprove your kinsman but incur no guilt because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. Love your fellow as yourself: I am the Lord.

What a hodge-podge!  Let's see, we have prohibitions against theft and fraud; exhortations to honor parents and observe the Sabath; prescriptions for proper sacrifices; and specific rules on living the moral life:

14 You shall not insult the deaf, or place a stumbling block before the blind. You shall fear your God: I am the Lord.15 You shall not render an unfair decision: do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich; judge your kinsman fairly. 16 Do not deal basely with your countrymen. Do not profit by the blood of your fellow: I am the Lord.17 You shall not hate your kinsfolk in your heart. Reprove your kinsman but incur no guilt because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. 

All of which are elaborations on "Love your fellow as yourself."  As Rabbi Hillel is famous for saying, that is the whole of Torah, the rest is but commentary.  No go study the commentary!.

As we can see, the specific ways in which we are to "love our fellow as ourselves" are actually highly relevant to today!

1. You shall not insult the deaf - refrain from hate speech/bullying

2. ...or place a stumbling block before the blind - promote accessibility! Whether in the form of wheelchair ramps or access to an education, removing obstacles from the path of those who are impaired is the idea.

3. You shall not render an unfair decision: do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich; judge your kinsman fairly - clearly an injunction against prejudice, with an understanding that reverse discrimination (favoring the poor) is just as repugnant as the more ordinary kind (honoring the rich).

4. Do not profit by the blood of your fellow - not only physical exploitation, but also emotional abuse, by embarrassment and rumor-mongering.

5. You shall not hate your kinsfolk in your heart - seems to pave the way for "loving our fellow", followed up by the more concrete "You shall not take vengeance of bear a grudge against your countrymen".

Yes, "loving our fellow as ourselves" means treating others as we would want to be treated:  If we were disabled, we would still seek to participate in society in whatever manner we could, and removing obstacles to this would ultimately benefit both helper and helpee. If we are brought before a judge, we would want him/her to rule based on the merits of the case, not based on our own wealth or need.