[net.religion.jewish] Loving and "Rebuking"

samet@sfmag.UUCP (A.I.Samet) (02/19/85)

> Maybe when Mashiach comes (soon in our days), he can teach us whether it
> is more important to love one another or to berate each other for not
> being as religious as his neighbor.

Loving a fellow Jew and giving him Tochacha (often translated  as
rebuke)  are  both  counted  among the 613 mitzvas. Of course, in
most instances, tochacha  needs  to  be  done  in  a  loving  way
(Rambam).  However,  you  will  recall from the Hagadah, that the
response to the scornful tone of the Rasha is a sharp one  (blunt
his teeth).  Perhaps this is a "love tap" too, on one level.

                                        Yitzchok Samet