Dr. Laitman's summary of
Rabash's article "Love of Friends", Essay 6, 1984
"Love thy friend as thyself," Rabbi Akiva says, "This is a great rule in the Torah." This indicates that if we practice that rule, all of the details will already be contained within, we will inevitably attain those details with no toil. That is all that we can do.
However, the Torah tells us: "What does the Creator ask of your nation, other than to fear Me." It turns out that the predominant demand of man is fear. For if one practices the Mitzva of fear, all of the Torah and Mitzvot are already subsumed, including that of "Love thy neighbor as yourself."
According to Rabbi Akiva, the fear is contained within the rule of "Love thy neighbor."
However, it also says: "Havakuk came and indicated a single one, and the righteous shall live in his own faith." For the predominant rule is faith. It turns out that the fear and the "Love thy neighbor" are included in the rule of faith.
Therefore, one should observe: 1) What is faith? 2) What is fear? 3) What is "Love thy neighbor as thyself?"
One should constantly remember the essence of what the purpose of creation is, which is to bestow goodness upon His creatures. If the Creator desires to provide goodness and pleasure, why are there three conditions? Rather they are necessary in order to prepare the vessels, to be prepared to receive the goodness and the pleasure the Creator desires to bestow upon the creatures.
What preparation do they provide us?
Faith includes security and requires first and foremost to believe in the goal "to bestow upon His creatures," and to have faith that every one is capable of attaining the goal. Furthermore, not to despair in the middle of the work and run away from the struggle, but to believe that the Creator can help even someone as lowly as him, and draw him near to merit adhesion with the Creator.
In order to merit the faith, fear needs to be attained first. Since the fear includes all the other Mitzvot and is the gateway to faith. According to the fear of the Guidance, the faith in the Guidance dwells within him. The fear is of possibly not being capable of bringing contentment to the Creator. So first he needs the desire to bestow, and then he will have fear of not executing it.
The need to bestow is against nature, and there is one piece of advice in order to attain it. If individuals assemble, with a small desire to emerge from self-love and to attain the love of the Creator, and they annul themselves before each other, then by annulling oneself before the society, they become one body, comprised of all, with the force of all.
However, assembling takes place on the condition that each one thinks about annulling one's self-love, not filling oneself, rather thinking only about the love of others as much as possible, for that is the only way he can receive the desire to bestow. And from the love of friends, he can attain the love of the Creator, desiring to bring contentment to Him.
It turns out that from the rule "Love thy neighbor" one receives the need to bring contentment to the Creator. Consequently, fear is attained of possibly not being able to bring contentment upon Him. Then faith is reached - the vessel for the inspiration of Shechina.
It turns out there are 3 rules: 1) "Love they neighbor," the only way to emerge from self-love to the love of others, to feel that self-love is a bad thing. 2) Fear, since without fear there is no place for faith. 3) Faith.
And after acquiring these three rules, he merits the feeling of the purpose of creation, which is to bestow goodness upon His creatures.