"One of the chassidim once said that he heard from Rabbi Dunin o.b.m., a famous Chabadnik in Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel), that for a long time he believed that the goal is Ahavat Yisra’el, the love of every Jew. But, as time passed—and by noting this he indicated that there is a psychological process of maturity involved—he understood that the goal is to achieve Achdut Yisra’el (unity of Israel) and that Ahavat Yisra’el is only the means for achieving this ultimate end. Let us expand on this point.
There is a great difference between Ahavat Yisrael and Achdut Yisra’el. We are all obligated by the mitzvah of Ahavat Yisra’el and, as the Alter Rebbe says in the Tanya ..."
The rest of this Torah essay is at
Authentic Jewish Mysticism and Thought.
Shabbat Shalom - Chodesh Shvat - Sefer Shmot, Parshat Bo