Do you have to love yourself before you can truly love others?

<p>As one would expect Rabbi Yonason Goldson started us off with the biblical idea of “love your neighbor as yourself.” The idea being that you have to love yourself before you can love others. But what does it mean to love something or someone?  He even gave us a quick lesson on Ahavah, the Hebrew word for love.</p> <p> </p> <p>Lori Donofrio-Galley agreed that you do need to love yourself to love others saying, “If you're able to care and nurture and grow yourself and develop yourself, you'll have a much greater capacity to love others and to understand how to love other people.”</p> <p> </p> <p>Bonnie Sussman-Versace commented on how once you learn self-love it just happens and you don’t have to think about it anymore.</p> <p> </p> <p>Listening back to this conversation I wondered if that was true. But in the moment that wasn’t the question I asked.</p> <p> </p> <p>Instead, I wondered if you can’t look in the mirror and say “I love you” it is not possible to love someone else.</p> <p> </p> <p>And, if I don't love myself, how do I accept love from someone else?</p> <p> </p> <p>What do you think? Is self-love a prerequisite to loving others?</p> <p> </p> <p>Connect with the panelists: Yonason Goldson: <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/yonason-goldson/'>https://www.linkedin.com/in/yonason-goldson/</a></p> <p>aka the Ethics Ninja and the Hitchhiking Rabbi, works with leaders to create a culture of ethics that earns trust, sparks initiative, and limits liability.  He is the award-winning podcast host of Grappling with the Gray and author of the book of the same name, as well as Executive Vice President of the Missouri Chapter of the Coalition for Jewish Values. </p> <p> </p> <p>Lori Donofrio-Galley: <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-donofrio-galley-9a970046/'>https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-donofrio-galley-9a970046/</a></p> <p>I am a first-born, Type A personality who is loyal and visionary and always finishes! Clients hire me to uncover “angles” and communicate value to produce earned media for growth.<