Parents do not need someone to obligate them to do good things for their children or to provide them with a list of rules. Love leads them to constantly seek ways to benefit, help, and support their children. It was on the basis of a similar feeling that the people of Israel was formed, in its most ancient roots.

Abraham taught us that the great truth of life is found in kindness, love, and unity among all created beings. Such a form of connection corresponds to the unity of nature, the parts of which are all interconnected, and therefore it leads to the revelation of the general, single force in nature, God.

At Mount Sinai, we committed ourselves to being “as one man with one heart,” with “all of Israel responsible for one another.” After entering the Land of Israel, we built a society characterized by mutual aid and acts of kindness. A unique educational system cultivated in the younger generation a desire to live according to the principle, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and defined being human as being connected with everyone through complementary mutuality.

Society encouraged connections between those who had and those who lacked. This was reflected in all areas of life, including the gathering of agricultural produce. The practices of gleanings, forgotten sheaves, the corners of the field, fallen grapes, and all the gifts designated for the poor cultivated a social awareness that we all complement one another. The rich person provides food for the poor, while the poor........

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