In the Holiness Code in Leviticus 19:18, the Torah states, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It emphasizes that proper conduct must exist in relationships between people, not just towards God. The New Testament repeats the command in Matthew 22:39 and Mark 12:31. In these verses, Jesus is responding to questions about the greatest commandments and identifies loving God with all one’s being and loving one’s neighbor as oneself as the two human duties.
In Talmud Yerushalmi Nedarim 9:4 and Midrash Sifra Kedoshim, 4:12, Rabbi Akiva states that “Love your neighbor as yourself” is the most essential principle of the Torah. His colleague, the sage Ben Azzai, stressed the verse in Genesis 5:1, “This is the record of Adam’s descendants,” emphasizing the concept that all human beings were created in the image of God. Both statements highlight the significance of proper ethical interpersonal relationships for all that God created.
This is not the only way the Torah emphasizes the importance of treating everyone and everything properly.
While the command to love our neighbors as ourselves is well known, most people do not realize that Talmud Bava Metzia 59b states the Torah speaks about loving strangers forty-six times.
The importance that Scripture gives to this command by its forty-six repetitions is further emphasized by the fact that it stresses loving strangers more than the command warning against mistreating orphans and widows, which is repeated only twice in Exodus 22:22-23 and Deuteronomy 27:19.
Among the forty-six repetitions, the Torah instructs us in Deuteronomy 10:19, “Love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt,” and in Leviticus 19:33, “The stranger who dwells with you must be to you as one born among you, and you must love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt”.
This is not a suggestion. It is a core principle of Jewish ethics that extends beyond passive tolerance or non-harming. It insists on acting to care for the stranger as one would for oneself.
The Torah uses the word “love” when it speaks about God and humans. Love has a larger meaning in the Torah than in the English language.
The Torah concept of “love” is not about emotions but acts such as kindness, helping, justice, and, especially, working to create a society where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their background, religion, or origin.
The ancients believed that thinking came from the heart rather than the mind. So, they and the Torah often used the word “love” to mean thinking that leads to behavior.
This biblical understanding of “love” helps explain many current problems with marriages. About half of today’s marriages end in divorce, and more than half of couples in the second half live unfulfilled lives. The main problem is misunderstanding love as just an emotion, focusing on sexuality instead of showing the kindness a spouse deserves.
The command to love God, found in Deuteronomy 6:5, which instructs us to love “with all your heart and all your soul and might,” requires action: commitment to study and observance of the Torah and its commands. Maimonides understood that controlling emotions is difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, he interpreted the command to love God in his code of Jewish laws, Mishneh Torah, as using the mind, not emotion, “know” God. One learns about God by observing what God created or formed.
Loving people also requires us to know, to pay attention and identify with other people’s experiences and feelings, especially those who are suffering or vulnerable, and requires acts of kindness, charity, and justice, including strangers and enemies, refraining from negative actions and feelings, and setting the needs of all people as important as what we want and need.
I agree with you, Rabbi Drazin. By loving our neighbor and stranger as ourselves, I do not mean merely the sentimental benevolence of wishing well, but the practical benevolence of doing good. We cannot serve God Deity in the manner we serve those who cannot do without that service. He needs no service from us. We can add nothing to eternity. But it is in our power to render a service ‘acceptable’ to him, and that is not by praying, but by endeavoring to make his creatures happy.
You understand perfectly.
I MUST LOVE U RABBI
And I you.
God gave us a duty, a religious duty, to take care of ourselves. Our body is the greatest asset we have and taking care of it should be our utmost priority. In addition, we are not the only occupants of this world. Taking care of the environment, animals, plants and caring for other fellow humans, is an act of respect and love for God’s creation. Our love for God should be seen in our love and respect for the things He created. By focusing on our body and the natural world, ensuring they are in good conditions, we are indeed showing love to God.
Shmuel
Well said, Shmuel.
Rabbi Akiva’s statement that “Love your neighbor as yourself” is the most essential principle of the Torah resonates deeply with me, dear Rabbi Israel Drazin. It is a testament to the centrality of ethics and interpersonal relationships in our faith. By prioritizing the well-being and dignity of others, we create a more just and harmonious society, one that reflects the divine image in which we were created.
And, as Ben Azzai so eloquently pointed out, the fact that all human beings are created in the image of God (tzelem Elohim) underscores the inherent worth and dignity of every individual. This concept is a powerful reminder of our shared humanity and the need to treat others with the same love, respect, and compassion that we would want for ourselves. Best, stephen
Well said, Stephen.