The Hebrew word for love is Ahava, which is rooted in the more molecular word hav, which means to give, revealing that, according to Judaism, giving is at the root of love.  Love is not all about you, the lover, but about the other, the beloved. Love calls us out of the confines of ourselves and into the wilderness of relationship. It is a transformative experience that dethrones the ego and puts it to work in the fulfillment of the needs and desires of another.  Love, then, is not about how you feel in someone else’s presence; it’s about how you make them feel in yours.

 True love is other-centric, enduring, strengthened and prolonged with every act of thoughtfulness and selfless giving.