Dr. Laitman's summary of
Rabash's article "Concerning the Love of Friends", Article 2, 1984
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What is the need for love of friends?
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What is the reason I chose specifically these friends, and why have the friends chosen me?
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Should each of the friends disclose his love for the society, or is it enough to feel love in one's heart and practice love of friends in concealment, and thus not need to openly show what is in his heart, as it is known that being humble is a great thing?
Or should we say the opposite-that one must disclose the love in his heart towards the friends, since by revealing it he evokes his friends' hearts toward the friends so they, too, would feel that each of them is practicing love of friends. The benefit from that is that in this manner, one gains strength to practice love of friends more forcefully, since every person's force of love is integrated in each other's.
It turns out that where a person has one measure of strength to practice love of friends, if the group consists of ten members, then he is integrated with ten forces of the need, who understand that it is necessary to engage in love of friends. However, if each of them does not show the society that he is practicing love of friends, then one lacks the force of the group. This is so because it is very hard to judge one's friend to a scale of merit. Each one thinks that he is righteous and that only he engages in love of friends. In that state, one has very little strength to practice love of others. Thus, this work, specifically, should be public and not concealed.
But one must always remind oneself of the purpose of the society. Otherwise, the body tends to blur the goal, since the body always cares for its own benefit. We must remember that the society was established solely on the basis of achieving love of others, and that this would be the springboard for the love of God.
This is achieved specifically by saying that one needs a society so as to be able to give to one's friend without any reward. In other words, he does not need a society so the society would give him assistance and gifts, which would make the body's vessels of reception content. Such a society is built on self-love and prompts only the development of his vessels of reception, as now he sees an opportunity to gain more possessions through his friend's assistance to obtain corporeal possessions.
Instead, we must remember that the society was established on the basis of love of others, so each member would receive from the group the love of others and hatred of himself. And seeing that his friend is straining to annul his self and to love others would cause everyone to be integrated in their friends' intentions. Thus, if the society is made of ten members, for example, each will have ten forces practicing self-annulment, hatred of self, and love of others. Otherwise, one remains with but a single force of love of others, since he does not see that the friends are practicing it, since the friends are practicing love of others in concealment.
On the contrary, the friends make him lose his strength in his desire to walk the path of loving others. In that state, he learns from their actions and falls into the dominion of self-love.
4. Should everyone know his friend's needs, specifically for each friend, so he would know how he can satisfy them, or is it enough to practice love of friends in general?