Rabbi Judah ben Bezalel Lowe, known as the Maharal of Prague was famous among Jews and non-Jews alike. He was a mystic who was revered for his holiness and Torah scholarship, as well as his proficiency in mathematics, astronomy, and other sciences. Eventually, word of his greatness reached the ears of Emperor Rudolph II.
The Emperor invited the Maharal to his castle on February 23, 1592. There they conversed for one and a half hours, and developed a mutual respect for each other.
Rabbi Judah Lowe made use of his excellent connections with the Emperor, often intervening on behalf of his community when it was threatened by anti-Semitic attacks or oppression.
Behind intolerance hides the most primal sense of ego, a clandestine belief that “I and my kind are the only thing that should be.”
People may give reasons for their intolerance, but the reasons are secondary. They despise others for the space they consume. Stripped to the bone, it is senseless hatred without reason.
It is the core of all evil. It is what holds the human soul in exile from the garden.
And its only cure is in unbridled acts of kindness, in opening your heart to the other guy regardless of how different and distant the other guy may be.
Caring beyond reason.