In part one of this two-post series we gained a better understanding of what it means to fulfill the mitzvah of Ahavat Yisrael - to love the Jewish people.

In this second part of the series, I want to discuss the basis and meaning that Ahavat Yisrael has for Jews and for Noahides.

The Jew’s Obligation to Love Noahides

One of the more shocking moments of my army service in the IDF was the reaction I received when I mentioned to my Israeli friend that one of my good friends in America is a non-Jewish guy who finds Judaism intriguing.

The Israeli friend of mine replied - “You have non-Jewish friends?! Whoa!”
- as if I had encountered some rare, exotic culture in a far off world.

And that’s when I realized:
in Israel, the only non-Jews that religious Jews ever meet are Arabs. And since Israel is in a state of war with her Arab neighbors¹, there is little to no interaction between Jews and non-Jews within the state of Israel².

So the question is, can a Jew love his fellow Jew - fulfull the mitzvah of Ahavat Yisrael - without loving his gentile neighbor?

To answer, Rav Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook zt”l says the following in a chapter entitled “Love”

1. The love must be completely full in one’s heart.

2. The love of the entirety of Creation comes before all else. Afterward the love of all of Mankind. And after the love of Mankind, the love of Israel, which is a love that includes everything above - since Israel are destined to rectify the entirety of Creation.

And all of these types of love must be practical love, to love them [the Creation, Mankind, and Israel -ed] to do for them goodness and to cause them to be elevated, and a love of Hashem will arise within them, which is love in action, love that has no ulterior motive whatsoever, only that which the heart is filled with from such love, which is the happiness/bliss exalted above all else.
(emphasis added -ed):

Rav Kook makes it clear. To love the Jewish people, one must first love the entire Creation AND Mankind AND the Jewish people.

What does it mean to love Creation?
It means to use them for spiritual ends and “cause them to be elevated”:
To use flowers to beautify the Shabbat home. To say blessings over the food we eat. To be thankful for the air we breath. To appreciate beauty itself, and incorporate that in our service of Hashem.

What does it mean to love Mankind?
It means “to do goodness for them, and cause them to be elevated” so that “a love of Hashem will arise within them.” What greater good can be given than knowledge of G-d Almighty. To me, this means to teach them - whether formally, or simply by example and through friendship³.

What does it mean to love Israel?
See Ahavat Yisrael part 1.

The Noahide’s Obligation⁴ to Love the Jewish people

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (Alter Rebbe) who lived from 1745 - 1812 in White Russia, was asked the following question by his students:

Which is the superior avoda (service), love of G-d or love of Israel?

And the Alter Rebbe responded:

Both love of G-d and love of Israel are equally engraved in every Jew’s [soul]. Scripture is explicit: “I have loved you [Israel], says the L-rd.⁵” It follows that love of Israel is superior - for you love whom your beloved loves.

“You love whom your beloved loves.”

What a statement!
The Noahide’s love for the Jewish people, it seems, is rooted in his or her love for G-d. Anything or anyone that Hashem loves should be loved by those who love Hashem.