Beloved by him as his body, loved by him as his body, loved by him as his soul
He keeps the precious book with great affection, beloved to him more than his body, beloved to him like his body.
("And if we say with all your heart, why do we say with all your soul? Otherwise: If you have a man whose body is dearer to him than his wealth - so we say with all your soul" - Blessings 6:2b, and so: "From here the sages taught: That a man's hand be dearer to him than his body, and all the time that Joshua was alive, he appeared to Moses as if he were alive" - Rabbinical Life Words are not empty, and so: "This, I say, is a mystery to me, beloved of all that is left of my body" - Shalom Aleichem/ Without the evil eye, 66, and so: "See his steadfastness in the Creator, blessed be he, and his love for Israel, that every one of Israel is beloved of him as his own soul" - Agnon/ City and its fullness, 544, and so: "Even in his being "A child in his master's house, and by the side of a teacher of the lowly, he approached the child of the poor, he was moved with pity for him, and he was as dear to him as his own soul" - Mordecai ben Yehezkel/ Sefer Hama'ashiyot Helek Rabi'i, Hatzadik Hayahef, 91)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
חָבִיב עָלָיו מִגּוּפוֹ, חָבִיב עָלָיו כְּגוּפוֹ, חָבִיב עָלָיו כְּנַפְשׁוֹ
Definition (Hebrew)
אָהוּב עָלָיו יוֹתֵר מִגּוּפוֹ. אָהוּב עָלָיו כְּמוֹ הוּא עַצְמוֹ. בְּהַשְׁאָלָה: אָהוּב עָלָיו מְאוֹד.
("וְאִם נֶאֱמַר בְּכָל מְאֹדֶךָ לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר בְּכָל נַפְשְׁךָ? אֶלָּא: אִם יֵשׁ לְךָ אָדָם שֶׁגּוּפוֹ חָבִיב עָלָיו מִמָּמוֹנוֹ - לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר בְּכָל נַפְשְׁךָ"- בְּרָכוֹת סא ע"ב, וְכֵן:"מִכָּאן דָּרְשׁוּ רז"ל: שֶׁתַּלְמִידוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם חָבִיב עָלָיו כְּגוּפוֹ, וְכָל זְמַן שֶׁהָיָה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ חַי נִרְאָה לוֹ לְמֹשֶׁה כְּאִלּוּ הוּא חַי"-רַבֵּנוּ בְּחַיֵּי דְּבָרִים פֶּרֶק לֹא, וְכֵן:"זוֹ, אֲנִי אוֹמֵר יְחִידָה הִיא לִי, חֲבִיבָה עֲלֵי יוֹתֵר מִגּוּפִי"- שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם/ בְּלֹא עַיִן הָרַע, קסז, וְכֵן:"רְאוּ אֶת דְּבִיקוּתוֹ בַּבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ וְאֶת אַהֲבָתוֹ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁכָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל חָבִיב עָלָיו כְּנַפְשׁוֹ"- עַגְנוֹן/ עִיר וּמְלוֹאָהּ, 544, וְכֵן:"עוֹד בִּהְיוֹתוֹ תִּינוֹק בְּבֵית רַבּוֹ, וְלָמַד אֵצֶל מְלַמֵּד דַּרְדַּקֵּי, נִתְקָרֵב לְיֶלֶד בֶּן עֲנִיִּים, הִתְרוֹעֵעַ אִתּוֹ, וְהָיָה חָבִיב עָלָיו כְּנַפְשׁוֹ"- מָרְדְּכַי בֶּן יְחֶזְקֵאל/ סֵפֶר הַמַּעֲשִׂיּוֹת חֵלֶק רְבִיעִי, הַצַּדִּיק הַיָּחֵף, 91)