SEE OTHERS AS PART OF YOURSELF — And Everything Changes | Tomer Devorah Part 6

What would change if you truly saw another person as part of yourself? Not simply as someone you are commanded to love, or someone you should avoid speaking badly about, but as someone who is, in a profound spiritual sense, connected to you. For the entire Playlist of Tomer Devorah: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF-aTKCqR7-o 00:00 Intro 00:56 The 13 Attributes of Mercy 02:20 The 4th Attribute: "To the remnant of His heritage" 02:40 Connection through family 03:07 The Jewish people as one family 04:02 Tomer Devorah on family 04:13 How Hashem relates to the Jewish people 04:58 Priority in giving charity 06:55 Why Hashem will not harm His family 08:12 Constant giving in marriage 10:00 Giving to those closest to you 10:45 Hashem's love for the Jewish people 11:41 Closeness between Hashem and the Jewish people 13:30 Hashem's distress in our suffering 15:10 Suffering reaching the highest levels 16:10 The flow of giving and receiving 16:53 An analogy of interconnection 18:50 The highest attribute of mercy 20:00 The blessing from awakening below 21:26 Interconnection between the Jewish people 22:42 Seeing ourselves as one 23:34 The power of group connection 24:12 Rewards for inclusion in the group 26:10 Responsibility for each other 27:28 A beautiful Midrash story 28:34 Divine inspiration for Bezalel 29:35 All souls suspended in Adam 31:07 The interconnection of our souls 33:57 How our formation affects our lives 35:07 Israel as a scattered lamb 36:13 Feeling each other's pain 37:40 The interconnectedness of suffering 38:52 The parable of a ship 40:24 We are all in the same boat 41:35 One person's actions affect everyone 42:41 How our sins affect others 43:18 The importance of unity 44:50 Lack of unity leading to conflict 46:11 Being a light to the nations 47:10 Setting ourselves in order first 48:21 Esau and Jacob 49:45 We are all one soul 51:00 Desiring the good for others 52:42 Love your fellow as yourself 53:49 Not seeking the disgrace of others 54:57 The Arizal on our connection 56:32 Responsibility for our fellow's sins 57:34 The plural in Vidui 58:37 A final Halachic teaching from the Rambam 60:03 Loving each other as ourselves 60:51 Final thoughts and conclusion In this sixth lesson of “How to Become Like Hashem,” we explore the fourth of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy from Rabbi Moshe Cordovero's Tomer Devorah: לִשְׁאֵרִית נַחֲלָתוֹ — “To the remnant of His inheritance.” The Ramak reveals something extraordinary about how Hashem relates to the Jewish people. Hashem sees us as His family—as His children, close relatives, and even as His own “flesh.” Therefore, when we suffer, our pain matters to Him. When we are disgraced, He does not want our disgrace. When we fall, He does not rejoice in our failure. And the Ramak tells us that this is how we must learn to relate to one another. Because the souls of Israel are deeply interconnected, each person contains a portion of another. This is the deeper meaning of ערבות — mutual responsibility. We explore: 🔹 Tomer Devorah — why the other person should matter to us as though he were ourselves. 🔹 Midrash Tanchuma — the connection of future generations to Adam HaRishon. 🔹 Vayikra Rabbah — the man drilling a hole in a boat, showing how one person's actions affect everyone. 🔹 Pri Eitz Chaim — why the Arizal recited the entire Vidui, even for sins he had not committed: Israel are one spiritual body. 🔹 Rambam, Hilchot De'ot — loving another Jew as oneself, caring about his possessions and honor, and never gaining honor through his degradation. 💡 What can we work on? The next time you encounter another person's weakness, failure, success, embarrassment, or suffering, try changing the way you see him. Instead of thinking, “That's his problem,” try thinking: “He is part of me.” If he succeeds, can I genuinely rejoice? If he suffers, can I care as though his pain were my own? If he fails, can I want to help rather than condemn? If he is honored, can I be happy for him rather than jealous? If I am tempted to think, speak, or act negatively toward him, can I remember: “He is not really someone else. He is part of me.” This is the profound vision of Tomer Devorah—and one of the deepest ways we can begin to become like Hashem. “וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ” — “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Perhaps the secret is not merely learning to love another person as though he were yourself, but recognizing that, in the deepest sense, he is already part of you. 🙏 May we learn to see one another differently—and through that, become more like Hashem. Rabbi Eliyahu Shear Chessed Ve'Emet www.lovingkindness.co #TomerDevorah #HowToBecomeLikeHashem #SeeOthersAsPartOfYourself #AhavatYisrael #JewishUnity #LoveYourNeighbor #JewishSpirituality #Mussar #Kabbalah #Torah