The Other Person Is You
The Holy One, Blessed be He,
is called “Good and Bestowing Good.”
Where and how do we arrive at this goodness?
Since our task is to achieve equivalence of form with Him,
the moment we begin to be good to ourselves,
the goodness of “the Good” is revealed.
“What is hateful to you, do not do to another.”
That “other” is you.
When you are not in equivalence of form with the Good.
How many times do we judge, criticize, blame,
belittle, and slander ourselves?
On the day we learn to behave with respect toward ourselves,
we will learn what “good” is,
and what “bestowing good” is.
Only from there does salvation grow.
Not from self-sacrifice.
From pure love.
The understanding that the Holy One as “Good and Bestowing Good” is not an external idea but an existential law of reality. His goodness is revealed not when a person torments themself, but when they enter into equivalence of form with that very “goodness.” The true bestowal is not an external gift, but the ability to see the good in oneself. If a person is cruel to themself, nullifies their own value, judges and diminishes themself, they block that bestowal.
The good is revealed the moment a person learns to love themself with a vessel of holiness,
and from that place, to love their fellow.
“Love your fellow as yourself—this is a great principle in the Torah.”
But it adds: “kamocha—as your very self.”
Meaning, it is impossible to love another without first loving oneself.
The inner “I” of a person is truly a divine soul.
When I belittle myself, I belittle the divine soul within me.
Every time I choose cruelty toward myself,
I separate myself from the Creator.
Every time I choose good for myself,
I draw near to the light.
According to Baal HaSulam, the Creator wants to fill the created being with goodness. The only problem is the “inner screen”—that voice that criticizes, judges, and prevents reception. The work is to transform the vessel: to receive pleasure in order to give, not in order to pass judgment on myself. The moment a person allows themself to enjoy—not from selfishness, but from the understanding that enjoyment is dvekut (cleaving to God)—they discover the “Good and Bestowing Good.”
Salvation does not stem from torment,
from self-flagellation,
or from sacrifice born of fear.
It comes when I agree:
To truly love myself—to see my soul as a living divinity.
To truly love myself means “You shall love the Lord your God” in every situation.
To behave with inner respect—even in thoughts and inner dialogue.
To allow the good to be revealed—to love others from a place of inner fullness, not from lack.
Reflect:
How many times today have you judged, criticized, or belittled yourself in your inner dialogue?
What if “what is hateful to you, do not do to another” applies first and foremost to the way you treat yourself?
What is one way you can choose to be “good and bestow good” upon yourself right now, not out of selfishness, but as an act of aligning with the Creator?
The conversation continues below.