From the Chabad website:

“There is love and there is beautiful love. True love includes empathy and compassion which makes it a beautiful love. Love is often fostered in expectation of reciprocity. Real love is expressed even when one gets nothing in return; even when the other doesn’t deserve love. Tiferet is giving also to those that have hurt you. It acknowledges the discipline of gevurah and says that, nevertheless, compassionate love calls for helping all.

Exercise for the day: Offer a helping hand to a stranger.”

This is a practical way for us to love on this fourth day of Passover. As we leave our Egypt and look towards liberation and freedom – this is where we can make practical steps in our lives.

Do we only love those who reciprocate? Or do we offer compassion and empathy to all?

This is not to say we should be doormats. We should have boundaries for ourselves to love ourselves, EVEN WHEN WE DONT BELIEVE WE DESERVE IT!

That’s where this begins. Offering love to ourselves when we don’t believe we deserve it.

If we can’t do this for ourselves, we won’t truly be able to do it for others.

Thoughts?