When Yeshua (Jesus) was asked, “Which is the first commandment of all?” He replied,

“The first of all the commandments is: ‘”The most important one is this: ‘Listen, Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. The second most important commandment is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment more important than these two.” (Mar 12:29-31)

The first of these two commandments is discussed thoroughly in “Loving YHVH God 101.” There are many that believe they are loving YHVH in this manner but, like everything in my walk that I had believed I understood; this was just another example of the lies that I had learned. And this was just the first of the two most important of all the commandments.

The second of these two most important commandments being ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself’ has never quite sat well with me. I always felt that there was something missing in my “Christian” understanding of it.

Well this past Sabbath, as I was teaching something that I had taught on many times, I was struck by a new understanding about this commandment that I had never considered before.

Just who is our neighbor?

I was teaching on the two types of men that make up the commonwealth of Israel. A commonwealth is defined by Webster as:

An established form of government, or civil polity; or more generally, a state; a body politic, consisting of a certain portion of men united by compact [covenant] or tacit agreement, under one form of government and system of laws.

The first type is the man that Yeshua mentioned to Nicodemus one evening during the Feast of Unleavened Bread when he said,

Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ (Joh 3:7)

This man is called in Hebrew the ‘ezrach‘ and in English the ‘native born, the ‘one born in the land’ and the ‘native to the land’ to name just a few. This is the man of the second birth, the heir of the kingdom. In my “Born Again” series I teach process by which one becomes as one born in the land; but that is not the topic of this note.

The second type is the man I spend so much time talking about in part 4 of the “Born Again” series called “Baptism – A New Beginning.” In Hebrew he is called the ‘ger‘ and in the English he is called the ‘stranger,’ the ‘foreigner,’ and sometimes even an ‘alien’ to name just a few. This man has come to the Father with a contrite heart and a contrite and broken spirit; he has repented, left the country of his first birth, and has joined himself to YHVH’s ways and people. Concerning these two men the scriptures say…

One law shall be for the native-born (ezrach) and for the stranger (ger) who dwells among you.” (Exo 12:49)

You shall have the same law for the stranger (ger) and for one from your own country (ezrach); for I am the LORD your God.’ ” (Lev 24:22)

One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger (ger) who dwells with you (ezrach).’ ” (Num 15:16)

You shall have one law for him who sins unintentionally, for him who is native-born (ezrach) among the children of Israel and for the stranger (ger) who dwells among them. (Num 15:29)

The stranger (ger) who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you (ezrach), and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers (gerim) in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. (Lev 19:34)

It was this last verse that hit me so hard because of its proximity and construction to this one.

You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. (Lev 19:18)

The ‘neighbor’ in verse 18 is the ‘ger’ in verse 34. Or, in plain speech, the neighbor that we are to love as ourselves is the ‘ger’ who dwells with us (ezrach)! This idea may be hard for many to understand and accept in light of the traditions and doctrines of man which we have learned from our fathers which are all ‘worthless and unprofitable things.’

The man who lives next door is truly not our neighbor; for our neighbors are those who do the will of our Father in heaven, the ger. Are we to love the folks next door? Of course. But not in the same way. The scriptures give us some very definite instructions on how to care for the Levite, the fatherless, the widow and the stranger (ger) who dwells with us.

“You shall neither mistreat a stranger (ger) nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. “You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry. (Exo 22:21-23)

He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger (ger), giving him food and clothing. (Deu 10:18) “

At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger (ger) and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do. (Deu 14:28-29)

Did Israel send relief to the flood victims in Egypt? How about the orphans in Assyria? Or the widows in Babylon? I do not think so! But I know that the Levites, the widows, the orphans and the ger were all looked after in Israel. That is why Moses said,

“Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ “For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? (Deu 4:5-8)

Are we taking care of our real neighbors?