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From: "Yeshivat Har Etzion's
Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash"
To: yhe-intparsha@vbm-torah.org
Subject: INTPARSHA -30: Parashat Kedoshim
Yeshivat
Har Etzion
The Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit
Midrash
********************************************
Introduction
to Parashat HaShavua
Parashat
Kedoshim
Love
Your Fellow as Yourself
By
Rabbi Michael Hattin
Introduction
As Parashat Kedoshim opens, the Torah
continues to
shift its focus away from laws associated exclusively with
the Cohanim and their sacrificial service, towards laws
which encompass the people of Israel. This
change of
emphasis began subtly last week nearing the end of Acharei
Mot, as the Torah tabulated the list of forbidden relations
that the People of Israel are to observe. It continues in a
more pronounced fashion in this week's reading, with the
Parasha beginning with the unusual introductory phrase:
"Speak to the ENTIRE congregation of Israel and say to them
'Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.'" As Rashi (11th
century France) notes: "the laws of Parashat Kedoshim were
stated to the multitudes of Israel, because the majority of
the Torah's basic principles are contained herein."
The laws of Parashat Kedoshim
are numerous and
variegated. They address such diverse issues as reverence
for one's parents, the prohibition of idolatry, laws of
sacrifice, laws concerning the gifts to the poor from the
produce of the field, the prohibition of consuming the fruit
of the tree during its first three
years, Sabbath
observance, the equal treatment of converts, as well as a
host of others. In short it may be
said that the
foundations of Parashat Kedoshim are the twin cornerstones
of 'Bein Adam LaMakom' and 'Bein Adam LeChaveiro,' namely
those laws that govern our relationship with God and those
laws that govern our relationship with other people. What
is particularly striking in the Torah's
formulation,
however, is the conscious commingling of these two seemingly
distinct realms. Laws that we might otherwise consider to
have a purely 'ritual' basis are freely interspersed among
laws that we would consider to be more a function of social
responsibility or concern for the welfare of other people.
A Basic Law
One of these laws is well known to all students of the
Torah. In fact, it is an idea that has been adopted by all
civilized human beings, in every part of the globe. Any
person who possesses even the most rudimentary system of
moral values lives by this principle or variations of it,
whether they are a Jew or a gentile, a believer
or a
skeptic, ritually observant or completely secular. Address
the following query to each and every individual: "if there
is a single postulate by which your relationship with other
human beings is governed, what is it?"
The response
proffered will no doubt be a variation of the
Torah's
fundamental imperative "LOVE YOUR FELLOW AS
YOURSELF" (Vayikra 19:18).
In this week's lesson, we shall examine this concept in
greater depth, studying its context, considering its related
aspects, and exploring its scope as it finds expression in
the primary sources and in the classical commentaries. We
shall consider how the Torah's formulation of the principle
is unique and in fact mirrors the larger structure
of
Parashat Kedoshim of which this law is but a small part.
The Local Context
".Do not pervert justice,
do not give special
consideration to the poor nor show deference to the great,
but judge your people fairly. Do not go around
as a
gossiper among your people, do not stand idly by over your
neighbor's blood, I am God. Do not hate your brother in
your heart, surely admonish your fellow and do not bear
iniquity because of him. Do not take revenge nor bear a
grudge against the children of your people, but love your
fellow as yourself, I am God. Observe my decrees: Do not
crossbreed your livestock, do not plant your field with
diverse species of seeds, and do not wear a garment that
contains a forbidden mixture of fabrics." (Vayikra 19:15-
19).
The broader matrix of which 'love your fellow'
is a
part is thus an assorted series of laws that in the main
attempt to foster equitable and amicable relationships with
other people. We are not to show partiality in judgement,
we are not to destroy confidence through slander nor harbor
ill will in the recesses of our minds. We are enjoined to
abjure revenge and to transcend resentment, to love each
fellow as we love ourselves. Surely this series of laws has
the potential to transform human society, to refine and to
ennoble it, to create a community and
commonwealth
predicated on the precious principles of justice, trust, and
love. What is the secret for its achievement?
A Recurring Phrase
One of the recurring phrases in Parashat
Kedoshim,
which might be offered as its characteristic aphorism, is
the expression 'I am God,' or 'I am the Lord your God.'
This expression occurs nineteen times in the
Parasha,
primarily in its first half. What is the significance of
these words that serve as the postscript to so many laws?
In the frame of reference of the Torah,
these words
constitute an emphatic admonition or exhortation to carry
out and to fulfill. The words of the Torah are binding
because they are the words of the Living God.
The difference between the universally accepted
but
typically misquoted 'Love your fellow as yourself,' and the
Torah's statement of 'Love your fellow as yourself, I am
God' is thus decisive. The former is an expression
of
propriety and social etiquette, forever subject to the whims
and weaknesses of capricious human nature and therefore
ultimately unenforceable. It can never be more than an
admirable opinion, tenuously tethered to the insubstantial
anchor of cultural relativism. Any number of individuals
may be true exemplars of the idea in their personal lives,
having decided to adopt the principle as their particular
creed. On a communal, national or global level, however,
the destiny of the many is often decided by the
less
scrupulous and the more brutal. Thus, although no rational
civilization would ever deny the principle's centrality, it
is nevertheless often honored more in its breach than in its
fulfillment.
'Love your neighbor as yourself, I am God' represents,
on the other hand, the only potential for the creation of a
just and moral society. Although there may be no means of
ensuring compliance with this principle in a human court,
any person who sincerely recognizes the sovereignty of God
will provide the most effective enforcement
possible:
regulation and control of the self. Of course, there are no
guarantees that those who ostensibly live by God's laws will
succeed in vanquishing the twin demons of self-interest and
greed. Nevertheless, a precept formulated as an obligation,
as an emphatic demand of an Absolute Being, carries a moral
weight far more substantial than a mere maxim for living.
The Critical Juxtaposition
That God is the critical component in this equation is
attested to by what probably constitutes the most glaring
juxtaposition in the Torah: "Do not take revenge nor bear a
grudge against the children of your people, but love your
fellow as yourself, I am God. Observe My decrees: Do not
crossbreed your livestock, do not plant your field with
diverse species of seeds, and do not wear a garment that
contains a forbidden mixture of fabrics.." The principle of
loving one's fellow as oneself, of extending the type of
treatment to others that one would want to receive in turn,
is an idea so eminently reasonable that no rational human
being could deny its indispensability as the basis of a
functioning society. But here, this paradigm of common
sense is followed by the prohibitions of forbidden mixtures.
These so-called 'decrees' or 'chukim' represent a body of
laws that in the end defy rational explanation, whose sole
justification for fulfillment is the fact that they are
ordained and commanded by a Transcendent God. "Observe My
decrees" in spite of their suprarational status serves as a
dazzling contrast to "Love your fellow as yourself." The
resounding message of the Torah is clear: in the final
analysis, the bedrock of both types of legislation, namely
laws that address other people as well as laws that govern
our relationship with God, is the same. It
is the
recognition of God and the acknowledgement of His supremacy
and providence that alone can serve as the vehicle for the
creation of a better world.
Hillel and the Proselyte
A very famous Talmudic passage
sheds an entirely
different light on the dictum of 'Love your fellow.' The
incident recorded in Tractate Shabbat 31A is part of a
larger trilogy of stories that in themselves provide much
grist for additional study, but for the purposes of brevity
we shall address only the tale that is directly relevant to
our discussion. "Our Sages related: a heathen once came
before Shammai (preeminent sage in 1st century BCE Israel)
and said to him: 'accept me for conversion on condition that
you will teach me the entire Torah as I stand on one foot.'
Shammai pushed him away with the builder's cubit that was in
his hand. The heathen then came before Hillel (paramount
sage in 1st century BCE Israel and president
of the
Sanhedrin) who accepted him for conversion. Hillel said to
him: 'what is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.
This is the entire Torah, and the rest is commentary. Go
and learn.'"
Hillel's words contain a number of remarkable features,
and at first glance it is difficult to reconcile
his
formulation with the principle enunciated by the Torah. Why
didn't Hillel simply quote the well-known verse
from
Parashat Kedoshim that appears to convey the same message?
In what way does his negative formulation
(what is
HATEFUL...do NOT do) differ from the positive one (DO LOVE
your fellow...)? How can Hillel claim that this principle
constitutes the entire Torah, when in fact we have seen that
even in its local context of Parashat Kedoshim it is but a
single law among many?
Rabbi Akiva's 'Important Principle' and its Relation to
Hillel's Dictum
For the purposes of comparison and contrast,
let us
quote from another source that seems to return matters to
their proper perspective: "Do not take revenge nor bear a
grudge against the children of your people" - one
may,
however, be vengeful towards others. 'Love your fellow as
yourself' - Rabbi Akiva said: this is an important principle
of the Torah. Said ben Azzai to him: 'This is the book of
the generations of humanity.' (Bereishit 5:1) is a more
inclusive principle" (Sifra Kedoshim 7, 4:12). On the one
hand, the words of Rabbi Akiva, the beloved 2nd century CE
sage whose storied life and tumultuous times are among the
most significant in Jewish history, appear
to more
accurately address the commandment of 'love your fellow.'
Unlike Hillel who spoke of THE ENTIRE Torah, Akiva's more
modest assessment speaks of AN important principle. On the
other hand, the disagreement with ben Azzai is perplexing,
and the proof text that he proffers is puzzling. But, most
troubling of all, the initial part of the source seems to
countenance vengefulness towards the 'others' who stand in
contrast to the 'children of your people,' but are otherwise
imprecisely defined.
Does Hillel fundamentally disagree with Rabbi Akiva's
statement or is it possible to reconcile the two? Do ben
Azzai and Rabbi Akiva differ or are they perhaps addressing
two different aspects of the issue? Could it be that all
three of the views are complementary rather than at odds
with each other? Let us begin by noting the respective
audiences in the two sources. Hillel is responding to the
somewhat incredulous query of the potential convert. At the
time of their fateful meeting, however, the man is still a
'heathen.' The heathen or 'nochri' of the Rabbinic world
was an individual who worshipped idols, and could therefore
not be depended upon to necessarily act according to any
moral compunctions. Hillel suggests to the man that there
is a principle of the Torah that speaks to the lowest common
denominator, a fundamental idea that is universal in scope
and constitutes the touchstone of even the most rudimentary
moral system: What is hateful to you do not do to your
fellow. It is an idea that implies no concern for the other,
no interest in their welfare, and no preoccupation with
their wellbeing. It is not an expression of love or of
desire to improve the lot of another that underlies Hillel's
dictum. In fact, one might say that Hillel's formulation is
actually selfish: I must avoid hurting another or harming
their property, in order to escape a similar fate befalling
myself.
Nevertheless, Hillel is forcefully enunciating the idea
that true moral development begins with the
dawning
recognition that to desist from harming another is the
beginning of the emergence from the proverbial cave. The
nasty, brutish and short life of the inhabitant of the state
of nature can be immeasurably lengthened and improved by the
adoption of this most obvious of principles. If only the
heathens (and Jews) could refrain from hating, harming or
hurting their fellows the world would be well on its way to
achieving moral perfection.
Akiva, in contrast, is speaking of
something else
entirely. The Torah says: "LOVE your fellow as yourself."
Whatever else this difficult phrase means it surely implies
a dimension of moral conduct that far surpasses what Hillel
describes. Love, the loftiest of human emotions, clearly
describes an intimate relationship, a care and concern for
someone else's property and person, a selfless surrender of
one's own interests for the advancement of
another's.
Hillel speaks of what is hateful, and Akiva speaks of love.
Hillel speaks of desisting, and Akiva speaks of
deed.
Hillel addresses the heathen and Akiva speaks to the Jew.
In other words, Hillel attempts to formulate the most basic
moral principle that the Torah expects all civilized human
beings to adopt as their starting point
in moral
development. Akiva, though, reminds us that there is at the
same time an abundantly more elevated dimension of moral
conduct that the Torah demands the Jew to implement with
respect to his fellow.
The Contribution of ben Azzai
What is the source for Hillel's idea? Where does
the
Torah speak of a basic, fundamental moral idea
that
encompasses all of humanity? This is provided, it seems, by
ben Azzai. It will be recalled that in retort to Rabbi
Akiva's characterization of 'love your fellow' as
an
'important' principle of the Torah, ben Azzai provided what
he deemed to be a more 'inclusive' statement. "This is the
book of the generations of humanity" is a verse from the
early chapters of the book of Bereishit that introduces the
Torah's first genealogical list. The descendents of Adam,
the first man, are individually enumerated and their life
spans are recorded. This introductory verse,
though,
concludes in a most extraordinary fashion: "This is the book
of the generations of humanity, on the day that the Lord
created humanity, IN THE IMAGE OF GOD HE FASHIONED
THEM."
The Torah was the first and only code to promulgate the
revolutionary idea that all human beings, irrespective of
race, color or creed, were descended from a single man and
woman who were fashioned in the 'Divine Image.'
This
implied, by extension, that all members of humanity were
related to each other by a common bond of blood and destiny,
and that all were equal in the sight of their benevolent
Creator. Parenthetically, it obviously follows that in a
polytheistic system that recognizes a multiplicity of gods,
there cannot possibly be an idea of a single,
united
humanity. The enslavement of others, the oppression of
nation by nation or of a man by his fellow
that was
celebrated in other cultures was thus renounced by the Torah
at the outset, as an abrogation of the fundamental dignity
invested in the human being by God Himself.
All people have a right to be treated with respect and
honor by virtue of their 'Divine Image,'
the basic,
elemental dignity that is a function not of man's fancy but
of God's fiat. Jew or non-Jew, heathen or Monotheist, all
were created in 'God's image.' This is the
statement
advanced by ben Azzai, and Hillel's principle is its direct
consequence. Akiva does not disagree with these notions,
but comes to impress upon us that there is an additional
obligation placed upon the Jew with respect to his fel and
it is burdensome indeed. It is the responsibility of love.
In another departure from prevailing thought, the Torah
advanced the notion that to be part of the Jewish people was
to accept an obligation to be concerned with the welfare of
other Jews and interested in their fate to
a degree
heretofore only extended to one's closest relatives. Or, to
utilize the even more extreme language of the Torah: "Love
your fellow as YOURSELF," for the average person recognizes
no more intense love than that which he feels for himself!
Thus, in the final analysis there need
not be any
disagreement among the sources or the sages. There are
indeed different levels of responsibility that address the
concentric spheres of our relationships with others and with
the world. To the world, humanity at large, one must show
deference, for all are created in God's image. Nonetheless,
one's relationship cannot be an entirely unconditional one,
for other human beings may not be bound by the
moral
constraints of the Torah. Thus, in the language of the
Sifra, one may exercise 'vengeance or a grudge' for these
two things are RESPONSES to the provocations of 'others.'
When willfully harmed by the proverbial 'heathen,'
an
epithet for one who does not act according to any accepted
standard of civilized or moral behavior, one may have to
REACT in kind. Not to do so is to invite not only further
aggression, but an actual threat to one's survival.
Towards the Jewish people, however, the Torah demands
that the individual Jew show a heightened sense of interest
and sensitivity, a 'love' that implies concern and care, and
that to a large measure is unconditional. To act with love
is to nurture a moral outlook that is not only benevolent
and altruistic, but ultimately ennobling as well.
Shabbat Shalom
Notes for further study: see the disagreement of the Rambam
(Laws of Opinions 6:3-4 and Laws of Mourning 14:1) and the
Ramban (commentary to Vayikra 19:17) concerning
the
literalness of the Torah's command to love one's fellow "as
one's self." Also see the Mishna and Gemara in Tractate
Sanhedrin 45A concerning the extension of the principle even
to the criminal convicted of a capital crime!
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH
ALON SHEVUT, GUSH ETZION 90433
Copyright (c) 1999 Yeshivat Har Etzion
All Rights Reserved
*********************************************************
From: "Ohr Somayach" <ohr@virtual.co.il>
To: weekly@vjlists.com
Subject: Torah Weekly - Kedoshim
* TORAH WEEKLY *
Highlights of the Weekly Torah Portion
Parshat Kedoshim
For the week ending 1 Iyar 5760 / 5 & 6 May 2000
================================
OVERVIEW
The nation is enjoined to be holy. Many prohibitions and positive
commandments are taught:
Prohibitions: Idolatry; eating offerings after their time-limit;
theft and robbery; denial of theft; false oaths; retention of
someone's property; delaying payment to an employee; hating or cursing
a fellow Jew (especially one's parents); gossip; placing physical and
spiritual stumbling blocks; perversion of justice; inaction when
others are in danger; embarrassing; revenge; bearing a grudge; cross-
breeding; wearing a garment of wool and linen; harvesting a tree
during its first three years; gluttony and intoxication; witchcraft;
shaving the beard and sideburns; and tattooing.
Positive: Awe for parents and respect for the elderly; leaving part
of the harvest for the poor; loving others (especially a convert);
eating in Jerusalem the fruits from a tree's 4th year; awe for the
Temple; respect for Torah scholars, the blind and the deaf.
Family life must be holy. We are warned again not to imitate gentile
behavior, lest we lose the Land of Israel. We must observe kashrut,
thus maintaining our unique and separate status.
================================
INSIGHTS
YOU AND ME
"Love your neighbor as yourself -- I am Hashem." (19:18)
Rabbi Akiva states that this is the fundamental principal of all the
Torah. But, in truth, how is it possible to love another person as
one loves oneself? A person's whole view of the world tends to be
ego-centric, and even when he behaves altruistically it is usually
based on the desire to feel good about himself -- that's not loving
as yourself, that's called loving yourself! The answer is at the end
of the verse "I am Hashem." When a person puts himself at the center
of the universe instead of Hashem, then necessarily every other
creation is light-years away from him. But when he acknowledges that
Hashem is G-d, then as a creation of Hashem he sees himself as linked
to his fellow man. In essence there becomes no difference between
"me" and "you". As we are all expressions of the will of the
Creator,
as much as I can love myself, I can love my neighbor.
* Heard from Rabbi Mordechai Perlman
FACES OF HOLINESS
"Speak to all of the congregation of the Children of Israel and tell
them: 'You must be Holy.' " (19:2)
We often think of holiness as something that only a few exceptional
individuals can aspire to. However, the fact that Hashem gave this
mitzvah to Moshe in the form of "Speak to all the congregation"
teaches us that not only the exceptional among us is capable of
holiness, but every one of us is commanded to be Holy. When the Torah
was given on Mount Sinai, the Midrash, commenting on the verse "And
all the people saw the voices" tells us "The voice came out and was
divided into many many different voices, and everyone heard according
to his strength." In other words, when one person heard "You shall
not murder," he understood it to mean "Don't pick up your ax and
murder!" While another understood "You shall not murder" to mean that
if a dead body is found close to the outskirts of your town, you will
be held responsible for not giving him sufficient protection, food and
escort, as though you'd killed him. To yet another it meant don't
embarrass someone in public, because when the blood drains from his
face and he turns white, it is as though you had killed him. Each
person heard the voice according to his own strength and unique
talents, and similarly every Jew is expected to be holy on his level
because he is an individual spark of the holiness of G-d.
* Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin
================================
Ohr Somayach International
22 Shimon Hatzadik Street, POB 18103
Jerusalem 91180, Israel
************************************************************************
Weekly Sabbath Torah Reading/Commentary: Parashat Kedoshim --
(Leviticus 19:1-20:27)
Commentary on the Weekly Sabbath Torah Reading for 1 Iyar, 5760
by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
Chief Rabbi of Efrat;
EFRAT, LIBERATED JUDEA, Yom Revii (Fourth Day -- "Wednesday"), 28
Nisan, 5760
How important is it for a Rabbi to have a beard? The fact is, I
was almost refused even the possibility of taking the test for a City
Rabbinate in Israel because I didn't have a beard -- and to this day I
am the only City Rabbi in Israel who doesn't have a beard.
The Biblical portion this week commands, "You shall not destroy the
corners of your beard" [Leviticus 19:27]. Although our Talmudic Sages
interpret this to mean that it is forbidden to shave with a razor
blade on the skin from which a beard usually sprouts -- rabbinic
interpretation not withstanding, even in our modern times most rabbis
do sport at least a goatee.
For personal reasons I have chosen not to wear a beard, being mindful
of a Yiddish Vignette in which the Keeper of the gates to Eden asks
one would-be entrant: "Jew, where is the beard you shall have?" and
the other would-be entrant: "Beard, where is the Jew you should be?"
But one day a year I do appear in public with a beard--on Purim.
Therein lies a tale which occurred this Purim and which can prove that
even a Purim beard can teach a powerful lesson!
Some twenty years ago my wife presented me with a Purim gift of a
remarkably realistic-looking beard, one which seemed to be "made for
my face" and provided me with an instant Purim costume. Initially in
Lincoln Square, Manhattan and for the last seventeen years in Efrat I
would proudly appear at all Purim celebrations -- from the various
megillah readings to the sundry Purim "shpiels" and l'chaims -- with
my special Purim beard.
"At least once a year we have a real rabbi", my cooperative
congregants would remark.
At the conclusion of Purim I would lovingly place my beard together
with my precious scribe-written Esther Scroll and specially crafted
wooden grogger (noisemaker) for the next year's Purim festivities.
This past Purim, no different from the previous ones, found me to be a
"bearded" rabbi. After the traditional Yeshiva "shpiel", which
generally made fun of my non-hirsute appearances during the other 364
days of the year, I went on to a Bar-Mitzvah celebration rather far
from Efrat on the coastal plain of Israel. One of the teenage
waiters, Lior by name, was bedecked with purple hair in honor of Purim
and seemed fascinated by my beard. He asked to borrow it, to which I
gladly acquiesced.
When I was about to leave, he asked if he might keep it. "After all",
he explained, I used to go to Day School (Yeshiva) and I still have
religious feelings". I spontaneously responded that I would gladly
give him the beard if he agreed to pray each morning with phylacteries
(t'filin). "I can't make such a commitment", he said. I
(perhaps
lamely) told him of my sentimental attachment to this particular
beard, but promised that I would make every effort to send him a
similar specimen. He returned the beard and we exchanged telephone
numbers.
From the Bar Mitzvah I went on to Bikur Holim hospital, where I had a
patient (the Administrative Secretary of our High School) to visit.
Obviously, I entered the hospital with my beard, because I especially
wanted to cheer up the patient. During the course of my stay at Bikur
Holim I used the public telephone, and at length returned home to
rest. That evening I was scheduled to appear at a fiftieth birthday
celebration Purim party in Tel Aviv -- and when I set out, I
discovered that I had misplaced my beard at some point of the hospital
visit.
I checked on the way to Tel Aviv -- but neither the patient nor the
public telephone could give a clue as to the whereabouts of my missing
beard ....
The next morning, while sitting in my office, I received a telephone
call from someone whose voice seemed unfamiliar.
"Rabbi this is the waiter, Lior. Remember me? Well, you don't have
to bring me a beard. An amazing coincidence happened. You see, my
grandfather is recovering from surgery in Bikur Holim hospital in
Jerusalem. I went to see him yesterday afternoon after work. On my
way out I stopped off to call my girl-friend -- and right next to the
public telephone was a fake beard that is a dead ringer for the one
you lent me. I kind of see it as a sign from G-d. I put on t'filin
this morning, and I plan to continue to do so every day of my life."
I put down the receiver with tears in my eyes. I have come to believe
that coincidence is G-d's way of telling us that he is still
anonymously in charge. My wife has already started to track down
another beard for next Purim.
Shabbat Shalom from Efrat,
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
**********************************************************************
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