Farewell, farewell! but this I tell
To thee, thou Wedding-Guest!
He prayeth well, who loveth well
Both man and bird and beast.
He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things both great and small;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.
–Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Students of the Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi asked him:
“Which is the superior service of God, loving Him or loving others?”
He replied: “Scripture is explicit: `I have loved you, says the Lord.’ (Malachi 1:2) It follows that loving others is superior – for you love whom your beloved loves.”