GOLDEN RULES
THOU shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
LEVITICUS 19. 18.
RABBI AKIBA said: Thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself. This is a fundamental principle of religion.
HILLEL used to say: Whatever is hateful unto thee, do it not unto thy fellow. This is the whole Law; the rest is but commentary.
TALMUD.
‘THOU shalt not hate the brother in thy heart’ (Leviticus 19. 17). Our Rabbis taught that this precept might be explained to mean only that you must not injure him, nor insult him, nor vex him, and so the words ‘in thine heart’ are added to forbid us even to feel hatred in our heart without giving it outward expression. Causeless hatred ranks with the three capital sins: Idolatry, Immorality, and Murder. The Second Temple, although in its time study of the Law and good works flourished and God’s Commandments were obeyed, was destroyed because of causeless hatred, one of the deadly sins.
ACHAÏ (GAON), 8th cent.
(Trans. E. N. Adler.)