@Kuvult: “don’t judge a Yid by their Hashkafa judge them by whether they’re a Mensch.”
Why should a Jew be judged at all? And once I am judging him, why in the world should I judge him if he is a mensch and not by hashkafa? What’s the difference?
It doesn’t say “You shall love a mensch as yourself.” Who doesn’t love mensches? Most people love non-Jewish mensches as well! The mitzvah of ואהבת לרעך כמוך means to love every single Jew, whether he is handsome, polite, smelly, dirty, stupid, or rude. (רמב”ם הלכות דעות פ”ו ה”ג)
You don’t love your brother because he is a mensch.
@Reb Eliezer – RE: Machlokes between Aim Habonim Smeicha and the Minchas Elozor
These are actually two ways in the Gemara (Sanhedrin 99a):
If we merit the Geula (זכו) – it will happen speedily before its time (אחישנה) and miraculously (ארו עם ענני שמיא).
If ch”v we don’t merit the Geula (לא זכו) – it will happen in its time (בעתה) in a long natural process (עני ורוכב על החמור).