The Talmud primarily discusses the concept of Sinat Chinam (baseless or senseless hatred) in Tractate Yoma 9b. It states that Sinat Chinam is the primary cause for the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. Surprisingly, it highlights that while the people of that era observed the study of Torah, the divine commandments, and performed acts of kindness, their baseless hatred of fellow Jews led to the Temple’s ruin, the forced ejection of many Jews from the holy land of Israel, their exile for over 2,000 years, and the loss of many lives, including six million during the holocaust. Sinat Chinam continues today.

There are many examples of Jews mistreating fellow Jews today with the same terrible consequences as in the past. I will mention one at the end of this discussion, an example where Jews need to stop doing what they are doing and copy the example of non-Jews. However, first, I will outline what the Talmud and scholars say in more detail.

The Babylonian Talmud in Gittin 55b–56a gives a practical illustration of Sinat Chinam through the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza. There was a social error in which two names were similar, a wrong person was invited to a party, and the guest (Bar Kamtza) was subsequently publicly shamed. At the time, religious leaders stood by and did not intervene, which led to a series of events that ultimately culminated in the Roman Empire’s destruction of Jerusalem in the year seventy. The Talmud could have given many other examples of the sickening, metastatic Sinat Chinam, such as the fights between Jews before, during, and after the Romans came and destroyed the holy land.

The Talmud in Arachin 15b gives another example. It links baseless hatred to Lashon Hara (evil speech), noting that both the speaker and any listener who does not protest bear responsibility for the consequences of the verbal act.

The Talmud in Yoma 9b declares that Sinat Chinam is as severe as the three most sinister misdeeds combined -yes, combined- idolatry, forbidden sexual relations, and murder.

Other sources tell us that, unlike the First Temple, which was destroyed for idolatry, a terrible deed, it was rebuilt after 70 years, while the Second Temple’s Sinat Chinam, the exile for internal hatred, lasted much longer.

Like the Babylonian Talmud, the Jerusalem Talmud in Yoma 1:1 states that the “disease” of baseless hatred persists.

The traditional remedy for Sinat Chinam is Ahavat Chinam—causeless or unconditional love—a term popularized by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935), often referred to as HaRav Kook, was a renowned Orthodox rabbi who served as the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. His view is grounded in the basic teaching of Judaism: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Rabbi Akiva, who was killed by the Romans around 135 CE, taught that “Love your neighbor as yourself” in Leviticus 19:18 is the “great principle of the Torah” (zeh klal gadol ba-Torah). He correctly insisted that all of Judaism, indeed the entire Torah, is based on this verse and that most commandments derive from it.

Akiva’s contemporary, Ben Azzai, argued that the great principle is found in Genesis 5:1: “This is the book of the generations of Adam… in the likeness of God He made him.” By recognizing that God creates every person, respect becomes an obligation to the Creator, regardless of personal feelings or the other person’s behavior.

Living roughly a century before Akiva, Hillel, who died around 10 CE, was asked by a potential convert to teach the entire Torah while the man stood on one foot. He responded, “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the entire Torah; the rest is commentary. Go and study it.” Some scholars suggest this is more practical, as it is easier to refrain from harm than to force an emotion like love.

These scholars emphasize that the Torah’s goal is to prompt people to act morally.

The basic teaching, considered the foundational biblical principle, appears in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. While “neighbor” traditionally referred to fellow community members, the Bible explicitly extends this same standard of love to strangers and foreigners.

The original command given to Moses in Leviticus 19:18 is: “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge… but love your neighbor as yourself.” The Hebrew Bible, in Leviticus 19:34, specifically states that “neighbor” includes strangers, non-Jews. “The stranger who sojourns with you… You shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:18-19 commands the Israelites to love the stranger because God “loves the stranger, providing food and clothing.”

The law is repeated in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew 22:37-40.  Jesus identifies “love your neighbor as yourself” as the second-greatest commandment after loving God, stating that “all the Law and the Prophets” hang on this and on loving God. In Mark 12:30-3, Jesus reiterates that “there is no commandment greater than these.” In Romans 13:8-10, Paul teaches that this single command “fulfills the law” because love does no harm to others. In Galatians 5:14, Paul emphasizes that “the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command.” These are just some of the dozens of similar commands in both Bibles. All being the opposite of Sinat Chinam.

As previously stated, Jews have ignored the basic principle of Judaism to treat all people properly and have even engaged in the baseless hatred of Sinat Chinam against fellow Jews. I will give another example of this shortly, one that deals with money. However, first, I need to tell one of Maimonides’ views.

Maimonides discusses the prohibition against charging for Torah instruction in two of his primary works: Mishne Torah and Commentary on the Mishnah. He argues that deriving material benefit from Torah knowledge is a desecration of God and all that the Torah stands for.

In Mishne Torah, Hilchot Talmud Torah 1:7, Maimonides forbids taking a wage for teaching the Mishnah and Talmud. He bases this on Deuteronomy 4:5. He explains that just as Moses taught the Jewish people for free, so too must subsequent generations be taught free of charge. He permits charging for teaching the written Torah (the Bible) if it is the local custom, since this is often viewed as payment for supervision rather than the teaching itself.

In Mishne Torah, Hilchot Talmud Torah 3:10, he reinforces this by stating that people who occupy themselves with Torah while living off charity “desecrate the Divine name, dishonor the Torah, and extinguishe religion.”

In his Commentary on the Mishnah (Avot 4:5), he critiques people who use the Torah as a “spade with which to dig” (a tool for financial gain). He argues that the great sages of the Talmud worked in secular professions—such as woodcutting or smithing—to support themselves rather than accepting payment for their Torah knowledge.

While Maimonides was adamant and held a strict “purist” view, many later authorities—including Rabbi Yosef Caro (1488-1575) in the Kesef Mishneh—noted that if scholars and teachers were not supported, the study of Torah might cease entirely. Consequently, contemporary practice often allows for communal support and salaries for rabbis and teachers as a practical necessity.

What is clear is that many Jews fail to act according to the Torah’s basic teaching to treat others as you want them to treat you. Instead, most Jews engage in many different acts of Sinat Chinam.

I will cite one of the more than a hundred examples we see daily.

During holidays, non-Jewish stores reduce their food prices so that all their customers can enjoy the day. They lose no money because more people shop at that time due to lower prices.

In contrast, with Sinat Chinam, Jewish stores raise the prices just before Jewish holidays, resulting in an unfortunate number of Jews deciding to abandon the Kosher laws to save money.