Ahavas chassidim

Some (usually beginners to the path of Chassidus) question the concept of ahavas chassidim, love of chassidim, i.e., for chassidim to feel and express an extra love and affection for fellow chassidim than for non-chassidim. Isn’t it contrary to the principle of Ahavas Yisrael to so discriminate?

To this I respond: Do you love your father more than the fathers of other Jews? Do you love your siblings more than the siblings of other Jews? What about your children?

Is this discrimination contrary to the principle of Ahavas Yisrael? Not really. When there is a deeper connection, there is deeper love. That doesn’t imply that there’s can’t be genuine love without it; there can be and there should be. It simply means that there are levels in love. For example, I can love someone who is not my close relative, and we can even become very close friends, but it will simply be a different, far closer relationship if it is a relative.

To base this in Chazal:

For chassidim, the Rebbe is like a father, according to the ma’amarei Chazal[1]:

• “Kol hamelamed es ben chaveiro Toiro, maaleh olov hakosuv k’ilu yoldoi” (anyone who teaches Torah to the son of his fellow, the verse considers it as if he begot him);

• “‘Veshinantom levonecho: eilu ha’talmidim” (“‘Teach them (the words of Torah) to your sons’: this refers to one’s students.”)
  

So it’s natural that there is a different feeling to the Rebbe, who is like one’s spiritual father, and to his chassidim, who are like one’s spiritual siblings, than to others. Since there is a deeper bond between the Rebbe and the chassidim, and between the chassidim, there is naturally a deeper level of love.

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[1] See the expression of the Sifri:

לבניך - אלו התלמידים. מצינו בכל מקום שהתלמידים קרויים "בנים", שנאמר (דברים יד, א): "בנים אתם לה' אלקיכם", ואומר (מלכים-ב, ב, ג) : "בני הנביאים אשר בבית אל", וכן בחזקיהו שלימד תורה לכל ישראל וקראם "בנים", שנאמר (דברי הימים-ב, כט, יא) : "בני, אל תשלו". וכשם שהתלמידים קרויים בנים, כך הרב קרוי אב.