The Power of Love: A Life Lesson from Rabbi David Prioff

Sometimes, the most powerful lessons in life are also the simplest. And one of those lessons is this:

Don't live your life acting out of fear or judging others harshly. Choose to act out of love.

When you approach people with genuine love, you may not always come out ahead in the moment. You might lose opportunities, make sacrifices, or find yourself giving more than you receive.

But what if those losses aren't really losses at all?

You may lose certain things because you choose love, but you gain something far greater in the long run.

How many times do we hold back kindness because someone disappointed us? How easily can disagreement turn into resentment, or resentment into genuine dislike?

And how different would our relationships look if we learned to separate a person's actions from the person standing behind them?

You Can Disagree With Someone and Still Love Them

Think about someone whose beliefs or decisions you strongly disagree with.

Maybe it's a public figure. Maybe it's someone in your community. Or maybe it's someone you know personally.

You might feel frustrated by their actions. You might believe they've made terrible mistakes. You may even feel that the things they stand for go against everything you believe in.

But does that mean you have to hate them?

During a shiur, Rabbi David Prioff shared something that beautifully illustrates this idea.

He spoke about Naftali Bennett, explaining how deeply frustrated he feels about certain political decisions Bennett has made, particularly promises he believes were broken.

But then he said something surprising.

If Bennett were standing right in front of him, Rabbi Prioff said he wouldn't be able to resist to embrace him warmly, even give him a hug and a kiss.

Despite his frustration and strong disagreement, he still feels love for him as a person.

Then he brought up another example: Yair Lapid.

Rabbi Prioff explained that he strongly opposes Lapid's political positions, particularly those involving the Torah world.

Yet he said that if Lapid were sitting across from him, he could imagine himself crying out of love for him.

How is that possible?

Because instead of looking only at someone's actions, we should try to understand the person behind them.

How did this person become who he is today?

He pointed to Yair Lapid's upbringing and the influence of his father, Tommy Lapid, who survived the Holocaust and experienced tremendous suffering.

Those experiences shaped Tommy Lapid's worldview and the environment in which his son grew up.

And that brings us to such an important lesson.

We may completely disagree with someone's beliefs or decisions. We may even feel deeply troubled by their actions. But that doesn't mean we understand everything that brought them to where they are today.

Every person has a story.

A childhood. An upbringing. Experiences we know nothing about.

Some people have experienced pain that changed the way they see the world. Others grew up surrounded by beliefs and attitudes they never thought to question.

And when we begin to consider those things, it becomes easier to look at others with compassion rather than judgment.

That doesn't mean we have to excuse harmful behavior or abandon our convictions.

It simply means that we can disagree with someone's actions without allowing hatred to take root in our hearts.

And living this way isn't always easy.

In fact, choosing love may sometimes come at a price.

You might lose an opportunity, a relationship, or something else that matters to you.

But whatever you may lose along the way, you stand to gain something far more valuable.

You gain a life built on love.

And perhaps that's something worth asking ourselves: What are we gaining when we hold on to anger? And what might change if we chose to let love guide the way we respond?

Emunah Is Something We Must Keep Strengthening

Another essential foundation for living life the right way is emunah, our faith in Hashem.

Emunah isn't something we learn once and then move on from.

It's something we need to hear about, think about, and strengthen again and again.

The more we speak about emunah, the more deeply it can become part of us.

We could spend our entire lives learning about emunah, speaking about it, and trying to understand it, and there would still be more to discover.

Because there is no end to how much we can grow in our faith.

We might feel completely connected to Hashem one day, only to discover the next day how easily worry, uncertainty, or fear can shake that connection.

Emunah requires constant attention.

It needs to be strengthened, nurtured, and brought into our everyday lives.

And alongside emunah, there's another essential foundation for living the right way: love.

Why Does Hashem Value Love So Much?

Our Sages teach something extraordinary:

"Welcoming guests is greater than receiving the Divine Presence."

It's an astonishing statement when we stop to think about it.

Avraham Avinu was in the presence of Hashem, yet when he saw guests approaching, he went to welcome them.

From this, our Sages teach us just how precious the mitzvah of welcoming guests is.

Hashem rejoices when we love another Jew.

When we love our parents.

When we love the people closest to us.

And even when we show kindness and warmth to someone we've never met before.

Sometimes we think that drawing closer to Hashem is only about prayer, Torah learning, or strengthening our personal emunah.

But the way we treat other people is also an essential part of our avodat Hashem.

A warm welcome, a sincere smile, an act of kindness, or the willingness to see the good in someone we disagree with can carry tremendous spiritual value.

Welcoming guests into our homes is one beautiful way to express that love. We open our doors, make room for another person, and show them that they matter.

Perhaps one of the most meaningful ways to strengthen our relationship with Hashem is to strengthen the way we relate to His children.

And perhaps the most beautiful lesson is the connection between these two foundations.

Emunah teaches us to trust Hashem, even when we don't understand His ways.

And love teaches us to approach other people with compassion, even when we don't understand theirs.

May we merit to truly love Hashem, draw others closer to Him, live with happiness, build blessed homes, strengthen our emunah, and experience success and abundance in our lives.

Based on a shiur by Rabbi David Prioff.