Community Torah Corner - April 24, 2026 — Acharei Mot-Kedoshim

"Everyone in society should be a role model, not for their own self-respect, but for respect from others.” —Barry Bonds.

This week's Parasha, Kedoshim, has a strict moral code of how to treat people. Don’t put a stumbling block in front of the blind, don’t curse the deaf. Honor your mother and father. Pay your workers on time.

 

But the idea that stuck with us the most is to love your neighbor the way you love yourself. וְאָֽהַבְתָּ֥ לְרֵעֲךָ֖ כָּמ֑וֹךָ אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָֽה. But what exactly does that mean? The phrase “Love your neighbor as yourself” could mean many things. Sforno says that if we want people to give some level of concern to our problems, we have to give that concern to them. If we have a problem, the other person will most likely want to help us more if we have a record of helping them.

 

If you are good to other people, they will be good to you. What goes around comes around and being bad to others—that goes around and comes right back to bite you. Say that you forgot your pencil case. If you helped a friend in the past, they will probably be willing to lend you a pencil. If you just keep taking and taking but never giving, the person will probably not want to help you.

 

In school, there are many ways that you could treat people kindly. Decorating lockers on birthdays, for one thing. It makes others feel like you are putting them first, even if you’re just coming early to greet them. If you’re not an early riser though, inviting someone to sit with you at lunch is always kind or giving someone a pencil if they need.

 

In current events, many people are trying to help repair the world. After October 7th, many people have helped bring almost all the hostages home and are helping to heal them. And these little acts of kindness have given us hope for the future. And as we mentioned before, what goes around comes around and being a danger to human lives comes back around when justice is needed most.

 

here are many types of people in the world. Some you agree with and some that we must fight against. But no matter who you are and no matter what you believe in you’re still sharing the world with everyone else, so make sure you treat everyone with the same respect you would give yourself.