A thought on פרשת קדושים
"...v'ohavta l'rei'acha k'mocha...""...and you shall love your fellow as your self..." (19:18)
This sublime moral principal is number 243 of the 613 commandments which Jews are to follow. For that manner, many cultures throughout this chaotic world of ours foster similar standards, and value this ideal of people being considerate of others.
Some of us have heard or learned that this is regarded as "klal gadol ba'Torah." Rabbi Akiva tells us this and we believe it. We even sing songs to those words. Loving your friend and your neighbor in the ways in which you care about yourself is a central principle of Torah. Could there be any greater principle than that of promoting social stability? Could any other value or standard as that of caring for others be as central to a healthy society?On the other hand, is loving others emblematic of the entire Torah? Surely there are more sacred and spiritual axioms which are great and important. After all, other nations who lack the Torah also value this idea of loving others, or have variants of it in the form of one adage or another.
The Recanati brings a midrashic view. One of the great disciples of Rabbi Akiva was Ben Azai. He is mentioned in the Mishna and Talmud. Ben AzaI reacted to Rabbi Akiva's statement by saying, "HaShem created people in His image. That is an even greater klal gadol ba'Torah.
The Recanati elaborates: Ben Azai declares that living by the standard of "love thy neighbor as thy self" is fine as long as we truly care about our selves. However, if a person does not mind self-neglect, or self-debasing behavior, and decides that if it is acceptable to him than he is entitled to neglect or humiliate others (a mutation of "loving others the way you love self") then the world is once again on a path to chaos (as we see around us.)
Rather, as the Recanati interprets Ben Azai's "greater principal", one must honor and revere other people, mindful that they are meant to be in HaShem's image. "One who loves his fellow as a creation formed in the image of HaShem is one who loves and honors HaShem."
We might say that at a functional level, Rabbi Akiva sees in the commandment of "love thy neighbor" a great central principle. Ben Azai adds that from a spirituality perspective, there is a deeper facet of loving others, and that is being considerate of the spiritual quality within each person. Loving others, mindful of their tzelem Elokim, is a more profound form of loving. It takes a social standard and elevates it to a sacred principle. It makes healthy interactions with others a form of devotion to HaShem Himself. As Ben Azai says, "zeh klal gadol mi'zeh" - such a standard is a greater one.
Once again, the Recanati offers us a deeper view into the complexities of Torah and a more profound glimpse into the words of Chazal. Good Shabbos. D Fox
This sublime moral principal is number 243 of the 613 commandments which Jews are to follow. For that manner, many cultures throughout this chaotic world of ours foster similar standards, and value this ideal of people being considerate of others.
Some of us have heard or learned that this is regarded as "klal gadol ba'Torah." Rabbi Akiva tells us this and we believe it. We even sing songs to those words. Loving your friend and your neighbor in the ways in which you care about yourself is a central principle of Torah. Could there be any greater principle than that of promoting social stability? Could any other value or standard as that of caring for others be as central to a healthy society?On the other hand, is loving others emblematic of the entire Torah? Surely there are more sacred and spiritual axioms which are great and important. After all, other nations who lack the Torah also value this idea of loving others, or have variants of it in the form of one adage or another.
The Recanati brings a midrashic view. One of the great disciples of Rabbi Akiva was Ben Azai. He is mentioned in the Mishna and Talmud. Ben AzaI reacted to Rabbi Akiva's statement by saying, "HaShem created people in His image. That is an even greater klal gadol ba'Torah.
The Recanati elaborates: Ben Azai declares that living by the standard of "love thy neighbor as thy self" is fine as long as we truly care about our selves. However, if a person does not mind self-neglect, or self-debasing behavior, and decides that if it is acceptable to him than he is entitled to neglect or humiliate others (a mutation of "loving others the way you love self") then the world is once again on a path to chaos (as we see around us.)
Rather, as the Recanati interprets Ben Azai's "greater principal", one must honor and revere other people, mindful that they are meant to be in HaShem's image. "One who loves his fellow as a creation formed in the image of HaShem is one who loves and honors HaShem."
We might say that at a functional level, Rabbi Akiva sees in the commandment of "love thy neighbor" a great central principle. Ben Azai adds that from a spirituality perspective, there is a deeper facet of loving others, and that is being considerate of the spiritual quality within each person. Loving others, mindful of their tzelem Elokim, is a more profound form of loving. It takes a social standard and elevates it to a sacred principle. It makes healthy interactions with others a form of devotion to HaShem Himself. As Ben Azai says, "zeh klal gadol mi'zeh" - such a standard is a greater one.
Once again, the Recanati offers us a deeper view into the complexities of Torah and a more profound glimpse into the words of Chazal. Good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 3:06 PM
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