The joke, of course, was on us. Because, as the pastor explained, the two we have, that we've been given in today's Gospel reading, are the basis for Judaism's 613 mitzvot; they are the why to their what.
What does it look like, do you think, when someone loves God with all her heart...all her soul...all her mind...all her strength? What does it look like when someone loves his neighbors, looks out for his neighbors, helps his neighbors, in exactly the same way that he takes care of himself?
I have to tell you, I don't know what it would look like if I did those things, because I don't. Not all the time. Every great once in awhile I will experience perhaps a flash, a fleeting moment, where those things may be the case, but the very act of noting that introduces an element of inward-turning that effectively ends that moment.
Just two commandments: Love God with your whole heart. Love other people the way you love yourself. How difficult can that be?
Shema, stained glass, Temple Valley Beth Shalom, Encino, CA
Jesus Washing His Disciples' Feet, Tiffany, Montclair UCC
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