(IsraelNN.com) Orthodox Union (OU) executive vice president Rabbi Tzvi Weinreb broke out in laughter when Democrats at the national convention in Denver replied "A-men" to his comments on neighborliness, based on the teachings of the Talmud and 20th century sage Rabbi Kook.

"Let's try the Hebrew," he said after recovering from his laughter--"Aw-mein." After receiving the proper response, Rabbi Weinreb said, "Now I feel at home."

He was one of several religious leaders who addressed the convention, but the OU pointed out that his appearance did not imply an endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama.

Rabbi Weinreb taught the tens of thousands of party faithful the story of the sage Hillel, who was asked by a scorner to teach him the Torah while standing on one leg.

Laughing that he cannot stand on one leg even "for a moment," Rabbi Weinreb continued that Hillel did not dismiss the scorner but instead was patient and replied, "That which is hateful to you do not do unto your neighbors. That’s all of G-d’s teachings; the rest is commentary."
That which is hateful to you do not do unto your neighbors. That’s all of G-d’s teachings; the rest is commentary.

Rabbi Weinreb said, "This was Hillel’s understanding of the Biblical 'Love thy neighbor as thyself.'" The audience responded with laughter when he concluded, "Now go out and study the commentary."

Rabbi Weinreb told the Democrats that Hillel's patience was the best way to understand the terms "love" and "neighbor."
 
Concerning the phrase "Go out and study the commentary," the rabbi noted, "The Jewish people, for two thousand years since Hillel, have studied that commentary. Judaism stresses the need to study lifelong study…. Study is our life, the length of our days."
 
He told the Democrats that Jews have learned a neighbor is "not merely the person who lives next door to us or across the street or even down the lane [but] may be a victim of a tsunami halfway across the world. Our neighbors may be the suffering people of Darfur. Our neighbors may be those that are victims of the cruel war now going on in the country of Georgia, so far away geographically.
 
He called on people to remove violence that has permeated culture and media and instead build a culture that "is defined by loving kindness and by compassion."

Rabbi Weinreb concluded, "I close with the words of one of my personal spiritual heroes, Rabbi Abraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, once along ago the Chief Rabbi in the land of Israel. And he wrote, "The truly righteous do not bemoan ignorance; but they spread knowledge and wisdom."