Shalom, Mitspacha!
Prohibition of Revenge
"You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am YHVH."
— Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:18
"Do not say, ‘I will repay evil’; wait for YHVH, and He will save you."
— Mishlei (Proverbs) 20:22
The Torah clearly forbids revenge and the keeping of grudges. Revenge seeks personal satisfaction for a wrong suffered, while a grudge quietly preserves resentment in the heart. Both keep us bound to offense and prevent healing.
YHVH calls His people to a higher standard — to release the desire to repay and to trust Him as the ultimate Judge.
When we are hurt, misunderstood, or treated unfairly, the natural response is to justify retaliation. Yet the commandment redirects us inward: we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Letting go of revenge does not mean calling evil good. It means refusing to take judgment into our own hands. It means entrusting justice to YHVH.
Ask yourself:
Freedom begins where revenge ends.
Abba YHVH, search our hearts and reveal any hidden resentment within us. Remove from us the desire for revenge and the habit of holding grudges. Teach us to forgive, to release, and to trust You as the righteous Judge. Let our hearts be free from bitterness, and let love guide our responses.
Baruch YHVH.
Shalom until tomorrow.