In honor of the 200th yarhtzeit of Rav Yehoshua Heshel of Apta, 5 Nissan
The Apter Rav was known by the title of his sefer (‘Ohev Yisrael’), because he was very meticulous in the mitzvah of loving a fellow Jew. He was known to have said that in every single parshah there is a hint to the mitzvah to love a fellow Jew. He was once asked where this mitzvah is hinted at in Parshas Balak. He responded that Parshas Balak is an easy parshah in which to find this allusion for the very name BaLaK is an acronym for the commandment V’ahavta L’reacha Kamocha.
The Chassidim questioned the Apter Rav, asking that “V’ahavta” begins with a Vov and Balak begins with a Beis and furthermore, Kamocha begins with a Chaf and Balak ends with a Kuf! (Two of the three letters do not match, even though they make the same sound). The Rebbe then chastised his disciples: “If you are so particular about ‘the letter of the law,’ you will never come to true Ahavas Yisrael.”
The Apter Rav was once accosted by a group of Maskilim (“Enlightened” Jews who were hostile to Torah Judaism). They got into a heated and disrespectful discussion with him. At one point in the discussion, one of the Maskilim took out a cigarette. The Apter Rav reached into his pocket, pulled out a match box and asked, “Can I give you a light?”
The one who pulled out the cigarette said to his companions, “Enough already. This is not the type of person we should be harassing.” This was an example of Ahavas Yisrael in action. He may very well have had fundamental and vehement disagreements with them, but when a Jew needs a favor, you do him a favor. This attitude so disarmed them, that they ceased the harassment. A person cannot have a hostile discussion with a person who is so willing to help his rival.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 29.