The most important principle of the Torah. Bereshit 5785. Rabbi Arias.
Why should believers (in God) and religious people respect everyone regardless of their beliefs, values, ideology, or origin?
The classic Jewish answer is based on a well-known Midrash in the Jerusalem Talmud:
“It was tough in the name of Rabbi Akiva: The Torah says: <Love your neighbor as yourself> (Vayikra/Leviticus 19). This is a great principle in the Torah”.
(Yerushalmi, Nedarim, 9:4)
So, we are commanded to love others as we love ourselves. It is also important to quote the entire verse from Vayikra (Leviticus, ibid): “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against members of your people. Love your fellow as yourself: I am Adonai.” This is probably one of the dearest pesukim (verses) quoted by anyone looking for sources supporting the universal values of Judaism. And yet, it raises many questions. (And I don’t think we need any verses to command us to do so. It is what we need to do, period). Here are some examples of these questions. If the verse says, “Love your fellow as yourself,” then:
- Who is considered a fellow? Is it someone like me? Can my enemy be regarded as my fellow?
- If I don’t love myself, how can I love others?
- Can I love others more than myself?
These questions have been asked by many Rabbis and interpreters of the Torah over centuries. As a people who are constantly suffering persecution, accusations, and being threatened, it is understandable that for many classic Torah commentators, the word “fellow” or “neighbor” relates only to the people of Israel. This idea can be understood also from the context of the verse itself. It says: “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against members of your people.” Then immediately after, it says: Love your neighbor. Therefore, it is comprehensible that many thought that “neighbor” here means your Jewish fellow.
That’s the popular belief about one of the core values of Judaism, loving others as yourself. However, this idea is brought up in the middle of the most particular book of the Torah, Leviticus, which describes the offerings, sacrifices, and rituals made by the Israelites to communicate with God.
But this Parasha, Bereshit, the first one of the Torah, brings a broader message. The opening chapters of Bereshit deal with the world's creation; no particular people were chosen yet, no favorites, no Abraham, Moshe, Yehoshua, or King David. Just Adam and Eve, that’s all. Coincidentally, the third third of the Torah we are reading today opens with this more profound message of universalism:
“This is the record of Adam’s line.—When God created humankind, it was made in the likeness of God.”
(Bereshit / Genesis 5:1 )
The same Midrash that quotes the verse from Leviticus in the name of Rabbi Akiva expands the boundaries of communal and mutual respect. Let me read for you the entire version of the Midrash:
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18). Rabbi Akiva says this is a great principle in the Torah. Ben Azzai says, “This is the book of the descent of man; when God created humankind, it was made in the likeness of God” (which negates the role of race in the creation of man). This is a more important principle.
(Yerushalmi, ibid)
Loving your neighbor as yourself is an important principle of the Torah. Understanding and internalizing that each human being was created in the likeness of God is even more important. It doesn’t depend on your religion, how you love yourself, or whom you consider your neighbor. It is simply the way we come to this world. This apparently superfluous and needless verse is not written in our particular book like Vayikra (Leviticus) but as a founding stone for Jews and any other human being in the world.
This idea can have enormous implications for the way we relate with other people, not only between Jews and non-Jews but also between ourselves. When I respect another person, I ultimately respect God, and vice versa. When we despise others, we are being disrespectful and also profaning God’s name. We can’t be naïve and careless, saying we will even love those who hurt us. That would be against the principle of preserving life and would be considered as profaning God’s name, too.
Being human is an act of love. Respecting others can also be a way to believe in Hashem. So, Parashat Bereshit prioritizes the equality of each person in the world because we were all created in His likeness. If you want to know what “God Likeness” means, I invite you to stay for the Kiddush and Luncheon after services. We will discuss this concept's meaning and how it relates to Rational Faith together.
Shabbat Shalom.