Friendship

The Hebrew Bible includes several stories of friends showing respect and compassion toward one another, like those of David and Jonathan and Ruth and Naomi. It also uses the terms “friend” or “fellow” in the context of commandments such as loving one’s fellow as themselves. Later Jewish texts analyze different types of friendships and how to strive for the ideal friendship, discuss the obligations of friends toward one another, and extol the spiritual benefits of proper friendships.