ואהבת לראך כמוך

As most of us know, humans (like Torah), are so interesting because of their multiple facets. The human personality is one that includes many different elements and core values that, when combined, create any person. This past weekend, on the Midwest NCSY Fall Shabbaton, I had a very interesting discussion about ואהבת לראך כמוך. The leader of the discussion posed the question of why Rabbi Akiva said that this one mitzvah is the core of the Torah and why all other mitzvot are just commentary. Naturally, since Kohelet speaks so profoundly about the meaning of life, it was impossible not to include it in the discussion.

The discussion began with advisor asking the basic question: why would Rabbi Akiva, one of the greatest rabbis to ever live, say that a commandment that does not inherently include G-d is the core value of the Torah? How is this possible? To understand the answer we gave, we must first understand what this mitzvah really is. The way I understand it, loving your fellow Jew or person is the basis for morality. Avraham, our first patriarch was renowned for both his ethics and his monotheism. As the world’s first proponent of ethical monotheism, I see it as fitting that these two things would go together. In my mind, without any background of faith in G-d, man’s first core value would be morality. So how does that lead to faith or explain how the other mitzvot in the Torah are commentary on ואהבת לראך כמוך? I think that morality (and the better understanding of the world that comes with it) is the basis for faith in G-d. Once faith is established, morality and faith eventually hold an equal standing as core values. From there, all other Mitzvot are just commentary on how to better our relationship with both G-d and man. 

Throughout this discussion, all I could think of was how each of the 3 major characters in Kohelet would view this commandment and its fundamental role in Torah. This comparison is possible because Kohelet was written by Shlomo, the king of a society based on Torah values. No matter how much each person/character wants to deny G-d and the existence of Torah, it is impossible to do so because the society is based on the Torah.

The Neheneh is the first character I thought of. We learned that the Neheneh believed that G-d had predestined everything and that, as a result, man had no responsibility for his actions, making him no different than an animal. In my mind, if someone in the real world were to adopt the Neheneh’s views, he probably would not care less about caring for other people. In a hypothetical world where the Neheneh’s philosophy is the dominant one, no person would care for or be nice to anyone else. The society would be completely corrupt and devoid of morality. See the example of סדום for this example in practice. 

The Ammal was the next character I examined. The Ammal believed that it was man’s role to affect change in the world and to create a just society. It is man’s role, not G-d’s.  In a society filled with Ammals, there would literally be no injustice. As King Shlomo said, it is man’s role to create a perfect world. Naturally, the flaw in this plan is that man cannot create perfection; that power is reserved for G-d. Additionally, in the Avraham example, morality led him to finding G-d and finding G-d led him to continue to act morally. After the first generation of Ammals dies out, the problem will then become that the children will want to create perfection in other ways. They will then abandon the goal of creating a perfectly moral world and the world would fall into chaos. After all, what is a goal without motivation?

Finally, we come to the Yirei Elokim. The Yirei Elokim has the philosophy that man and G-d should work together to achieve a goal, whatever that goal might be. In our case, the final goal would be creating a moral world. According to the Yirei Elokim, G-d and man should work together to implement morality. In a world full of Yirei Elokims, the concept of ואהבת לראך כמוך would certainly thrive. Man and G-d would work together to make sure that other people are taken care of. This is the philosophy that makes the most sense in the context of ואהבת לראך כמוך being the core value of the Torah. In the end, faith and morality will work together to create a nicer world. However, as much as I seem to like this philosophy, the Chacham thinks that the Yirei Elokim is an extremist because he thinks that a partnership between man and G-d would be the best thing ever. I don’t know enough about the Chacham to apply this concept to a society full of Chachams, so I will leave it at that.

This discussion was truly thought provoking for me. Sadly, we only had two half-hour blocks to flesh out the discussion, so we did not get to take the ideas we talked about to their logical conclusions. Please, if you have something to add to the discussion, don’t hesitate to comment!

“Be kind to one another.”  -Ellen Degeneres