Image of the Week: Love Thy Neighbor
© D. Yael Bernhard
Ahavta l'reyecha kamocha (אהבת לרעך כמוך) . . . Love thy neighbor as thyself. So read the Hebrew words written on this painting, and etched into the Judeo-Christian tradition that has persisted since the Torah was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai over three thousand years ago. The concept is so embedded in our culture, it's almost like stating the obvious. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you were the words we grew up with. Some Jewish sages, such as Hillel the Elder, who greatly inspired Jesus, stated the Golden Rule as a negative: What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow."
The above quote from the Leviticus 19:18 is preceded by verses stated in the negative: You shall not render an unfair decision: do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich; judge your kin fairly. Do not profit by the blood of your fellow. You shall not hate your kinsfolk in your heart. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against members of your people. Yet the final phrase, Love your neighbor as yourself, entreats the reader to do something positive – a goal to strive for throughout the course of our lives.
The bottom line is that we all want to be treated with kindness; and that compassion for others must first and foremost stem from this impulse. But what if you don't love yourself, you might argue? Perhaps for such individuals the phrase could be a double negative: Do not love others as you do not love yourself.
The Torah has a way of sparking contemplation and debate, and this is no exception.
The word "neighbor" also has many connotations. Here it's translated from the Hebrew word reyecha (your neighbor), but may also be interpreted as "your kinsfolk" or "your fellow." We are encouraged to take a larger view of the "other" as our worldly brethren, beyond the boundaries of our tribe – to imagine ourselves as the other as a guide for how to treat someone in a different suit of skin.
Dissolving these boundaries was easiest to convey visually by depicting people of different ethnicities and skin colors. It was also the most appropriate and politically correct approach for the Christian publisher who originally commissioned this illustration. Many of the images I did for this client were derived from the Hebrew Bible, known by Christians as the Old Testament.
The four people shown here form a swastika-like structure, with the energy of their reaching arms moving in a clockwise circle. I tried to balance the image without making it too geometric. Two men, two women. Two with long hair, two short. Four distinct colors of clothing. Two profiles, two full front faces.
Love Thy Neighbor is the image for September 2024 in my newly-published calendar, The Jewish Eye 5784/2024 Calendar of Art – available in my webstore ($20 with shipping included) or on Amazon ($16.95). If you buy it from Amazon, please consider writing a review!
You can view the entire calendar here.
A good week to all!
D Yael Bernhard
children's books • fine art • illustration
