He Is a Yid and I Will Love Him

A young man from out of town who learned in Yeshiva Torah Vodaath befriended the Rebbe's son, Zisha, and became a ben bayis in the Rebbe's home on Henry Street on the East Side. Witnessing the constant flow of Yidden with all kinds of tzoris, he was moved to ask the Rebbe, "How can the Rebbe love every Yid?"

The Rebbe said, "I will answer you in two ways. Number one, to love Rav Aharon Kotler you don't need Ahavas Yisroel. The second thing is this. When you look at the face of a person entering the door, you can see either the joy on his face or the troubles and burdens he carries. When I see the door open and the foot come through, I do not wait to see the face. I say, 'Ehr iz a Yid, un ich gay ehm leib hobn' (He is a Jew, and I will love him)."