Love Your Neighbor As Yourself

Every night, Malcolm and I (or Malcolm and Daddy) recite the Shema. If you're unfamiliar with it, it goes like this:

Hear, Oh Israel!
The Lord is our G-d!
The Lord alone!
LOVE the Lord your G-d
with all your heart
with all your soul
and with all your might.
And love your neighbor as yourself.

The first part is in Deuteronomy, the last bit was added by that dude Jesus during His ministry. He seems to have been a pretty smart cookie.

So, we get done reciting Shema tonight, and I say, just to be funny, "you should love Mommy the most!" Malcolm responded, "No, silly, I love you, Daddy, and me ALL THE SAME!" I replied, "You love yourself?" and he said "YES!" And so I asked him to list all the things he likes about himself, and reaffirmed those things.

I know it is in children's nature to love themselves and be fairly confident at this age...but I really hope we can keep up the self-love. So much hurt in this world comes out of self-loathing. And think about it...it's a commandment from G-d: Love your neighbor AS yourself. Wouldn't that indicate that in order to love others, you first need to love yourself? It's not "love your neighbor even if you don't love yourself" or "love your neighbor in spite of yourself."

I told Malcolm that I was very happy he loves himself. He looked at me like "why wouldn't I?" I explained that there are some people who don't love themselves. When he asked why, I said it was because at some point along the way, someone told them bad things about them and made them sad. He pondered that for a bit, and he said he hoped all people would love themselves.

Of all the things that will change about him as he grows older, I hope this is not one of them. And I pray that all of you who are finding it easier to love your neighbor than to even consider loving yourself can reach back in time, and fnd that inner 6-year-old...and revel in your own awesomeness!