The Centrality of Mitzvot Bein Adam Le-chavero
Bein Adam
Le-Chavero:
Ethics of Interpersonal Conduct
By Rav Binyamin Zimmerman
*********************************************************
This weeks shiurim are
dedicated by Mr Emanuel Abrams
in memory of Rabbi Abba and Eleanor Abrams
*********************************************************
Shiur 01:
The Centrality of Mitzvot Bein Adam Le-chavero
In this
series, I aim to analyze the Torahs interpersonal directives and develop the
ethical principles that Judaism attempts to instill within us. Before we begin, let me try to put
things in proper perspective. How
significant is this study? At first
glance, the uniqueness of Judaism lies in its distinct set of laws, primarily
focusing on ones relationship with God.
Though there are certainly obligations one has to ones fellow Jew, they
seemingly pale in comparison to developing a true understanding of ones
responsibilities to the Almighty.
Should we really invest so much time and effort analyzing interpersonal
imperatives instead of focusing on ritual requirements between man and the
Creator?
We have
to be mindful of the fact that the entire spectrum of mitzvot is
important, and therefore all mitzvot deserve study, even those which seem
to be less significant. As the
Mishna (Avot 2:1) teaches, One should be as scrupulous in performing a minor
mitzva as a major one, for one does not know the respective reward given for
mitzvot. All mitzvot are
divinely ordained and therefore important.
They combine to refine each individual and perfect ones personality. The Zohar (I, 170b) explains that the
248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments in the Torah correlate
to the 248 limbs and 365 sinews of the human body. Every mitzva relates to an
essential aspect of the human body, and therefore all are necessary. One cannot choose favorites or which
mitzvot to keep and which to forgo.
Nevertheless, in a number of places the Sages clearly give precedence to certain
mitzvot, which would seem to further amplify the need to study these
commandments. Interpersonal
commandments (mitzvot bein adam le-chavero) seem to fall in this
category. Because they are sometimes
overlooked and are sometimes thought of as social graces, we often forget their
centrality. A careful investigation
into the mitzvot that have been given primacy in rabbinical teachings
clearly indicates the elevated status of interpersonal mitzvot. However, many people fail to view
them as essential and relegate their significance to the realm of the admirable
or that of extra credit. For these
reasons, we will examine the concepts associated with interpersonal conduct and
analyze the importance of this category of commandments.
The Range of Interpersonal Mitzvot
The
halakhic system, with its numerous directives focusing on rituals and mans
obligations towards God (mitzvot bein adam la-Makom), does not overlook
the individuals responsibilities towards his or her neighbors. The Torah provides detailed
guidelines and rules regarding almost every aspect of social interactions. In fact, most aspects of
interpersonal conduct are dictated by halakhic norms. Halakhic guidelines constitute
interpersonal directives ranging from what is permissible to speak about at
ones table to what one can believe in the newspapers. These directives are known
collectively as mitzvot bein adam le-chavero, as they concern the
required behavior towards ones friend or fellow (chaver). Unfortunately, we often overlook the
degree to which these laws are a pivotal element of the Jewish outlook.
Piety and
spirituality are often measured by ones careful attention to ritual, while
interpersonal conduct is often viewed as a significant but secondary
consideration. It is not uncommon
for one to hear, He is a scholarly, devout individual and by the way, he is
also a nice guy. Regrettably, the
two do not always go hand in hand.
Interpersonal directives also serve a utilitarian role, by helping to promote a
peaceful, successful society.
Certainly, Judaism recognizes the utilitarian role of these commandments; the
Mishna even praises fear of authority and praying for the welfare of the
government (Avot 3:2), but the essence of the Torah is that one must strive for
excellence in interpersonal behavior as a spiritual mission. An ethical and moral society is
essential for growth and success, but it is also a religious ideal for any Jew. We must also be mindful of the fact
that mitzvot bein adam le-chavero are not only utilitarian; they are also
Divine directives.
Why the Need for So Many Mitzvot Bein
Adam Le-Chavero?
In the
absence of the Holy Temple, an inordinate percentage of the biblical mitzvot
applicable in our day are in fact mitzvot bein adam le-chavero. The question is: what can be learned
from the fact that God chose to dictate right and wrong regarding our
relationships with other people?
What further compounds our difficulty in finding the answer to this question is
the sheer number of commandments and the exacting detail of their requirements. We can ask: why does Judaism place so
much stress on something seemingly applicable to people from all walks of life? Additionally, isnt much of the
prescribed behavior obvious to most people who participate in mainstream
society? Furthermore, how essential
are these mitzvot, and do these numerous directives provide a glimpse of
the overall nature of Judaism?
One might
downplay the significance of the volume of interpersonal mitzvot and
offer a technical explanation for the phenomenon.
After all, the halakhic system covers all facets of living. As a universal system of laws, it
must deal with all aspects of interactions between human beings. In essence, this approach would claim
that although the halakhic system really cherishes mitzvot bein adam la-Makom,
one could not create a legal system without including interpersonal directives,
despite their paling in comparison to ritual law.
However,
in many places, from verses in Tanakh to statements in the Talmud, the opposite
seems to be true. One gets the
impression that kindness and righteousness are not just footnotes to a halakhic
system rooted in ritual; rather, they play a pivotal, essential role in our
religion. In numerous places, the
prophets stress the importance of fulfilling interpersonal mitzvot and
explain how often Jewish suffering and national calamity come about because of
infractions in the social realm. The
number of interpersonal directives is an expression of the Torah goal of not
only guiding behavior, but shaping our approach to life based upon it.
Let us
take a look at the sources in order to answer the question of how essential
these commandments in fact are.
If one
would want to identify the concepts which are the building blocks of Judaism, a
good place to start is in the Talmud, at the end of Tractate Makkot. The Talmud relates that though there
are 613 commandments in the Torah, a number of prophets, starting with King
David, developed shorter lists of categories of mitzvot, focusing on the
most important elements.
The Rivan
(Makkot 24a, s.v. Ve-heemidan) remarks that in the earlier generations,
people were adept at performing all the mitzvot while being properly
mindful of their significance, but as the generations went on, the level of
fulfillment waned. King David
stressed these categories of mitzvot to underscore the fundamental
elements of the Torahs tradition, and to clarify what is needed for one to be
able to merit a portion in the World to Come.
The
recurring concepts which appear in almost every prophetic list include kindness
(chesed) and proper interpersonal conduct.
King Davids list (Tehillim 15) is essentially a detailing of eleven
ethical requirements which serve as the basis for the fulfillment of all six
hundred thirteen commandments. He
was followed by Yeshayahu, who found it necessary to establish an even smaller
number of basic requirements, the mastering of which would enable one to fulfill
the totality of mitzvot.
Again, all of Yeshayahus examples are in the realm of interpersonal behavior:
righteousness, speaking with fairness, distancing oneself from bribery and the
like. Later prophets reduced the
number even further. The prophet
Mikha, a contemporary of Yeshayahu, listed three, after which Yeshayahu further
reduced his list to two. Later,
Chavakkuk summed up the entire Torah in one requirement. As the Gemara (24a)
explains:
The
prophet Mikha came and established them [i.e., the fulfillment of the six
hundred thirteen commandments] upon three [ethical requirements], as it is
written: He has told you what is good and what God demands of you: only [1] to
do justice, [2] to love kindness (ahavat chesed), [3] and to walk humbly
with your God (Mikha 6:8)
Yeshayahu
came again and established [the mitzvot] upon two, as it says, So said
God: [1] Guard justice and [2] perform righteousness (Yeshayahu 56:1)
[Later
the prophet] Chavakkuk came and established [the mitzvot] upon one
[foundation], as it says, A righteous person (tzaddik) will live because
of his faith (Chavakkuk 2:4).
This
Gemara is at first glance surprising, and after further study it becomes
downright shocking. The great
prophets focus their attention on ethical behavior in order to express the basic
underpinnings of mitzva observance.
For some reason, they seem to underscore the importance of interpersonal
conduct as the basis of the Torah.
Loving-kindness, justice, righteousness these are the basis of the Torah!
In fact,
the concise formulation of Chavakkuk, the righteous living by their faith, seems
to connect the two aspects of the equation.
Righteous behavior is rooted in a life guided by ones faith and ones
relationship with God. That, says
Chavakkuk, is the basis of the Torah.
But how
could it be? With all the unique
mitzvot, how do these interpersonal directives play such a fundamental role
in the Torahs tradition?
Torah Jew = A Kind Jew
Before we
are able to answer why the sphere of bein adam le-chavero is so essential
to Judaism, we must further prove its importance.
The Torah views proper behavior as characteristic of the Jewish people,
as described so beautifully by Tzefanya (3:13): The remnant of Israel they
will not perform iniquity nor speak falsehood, and one will not find in their
mouths falsehood or deceit.
This idea
is expressed in Tanakh, repeated in statements of the Sages and clarified by the
later commentators: interpersonal mitzvot are an integral part of our
religion.
The
prophet Yirmiyahu (9:22-23) declares:
Thus says
God:
Let not
the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Neither
let the mighty man glory in his might,
Let not
the rich man glory in his riches;
But let
him that glories glory in this that he understands and knows Me,
That I am
God, who exercises mercy,
Justice
and righteousness on earth;
For in
these things I delight,
Says God.
In
addition to the verses cited from the Talmud earlier, the prophetic message here
is clear: God delights in mercy,
justice and righteousness, which He exercises on Earth, and so should we.
This
prophetic message is further stressed in the Oral Tradition. One of the primary focuses of
Tractate Avot is proper conduct. In
the first chapter of Avot, we are told twice that there are three things that
uphold the world. These sources
include chesed and shalom (peace) as part of the triad.
Shimon
the Righteous
used to say: The world stands on three things: the Torah,
serving God, and acts of kindness (gemilut chasadim). (Avot 1:2)
Rabban
Shimon ben Gamliel said: By virtue of three things does the world endure:
truth, justice, and peace, as it is said (Zekharya 8:16): You shall administer
truth and the justice of peace in your gates. (Avot 1:18)
The
Chafetz Chayim, in his introduction to his monumental work on interpersonal
mitzvot, Ahavat Chesed (the title of which is taken from the verse in
Mikha quoted above), explains this.
God, Who is good, does good and bestows His chesed upon all His
creatures, tells us to follow Him, be merciful like Him and model our conduct
after Him. The Chafetz Chayim adds,
The entire Torah is permeated by this concept, as seen from the verse in
Mikha. The Chafetz Chayim continues
to list the many benefits accorded to one who engages in chesed and the
punishments meted out to one who eschews its practice. Chesed secures atonement,
lengthens life, promotes peace and ensures a just society.
Certain
mitzvot bein adam le-chavero are also stressed to reiterate their
unique significance. The Rambam
emphasizes the importance of the mitzva of giving
charity as follows:
We are
required to be more careful about the mitzva of giving charity than about
any other positive mitzva.
For charity is the sign of the righteous descendants of Avraham Avinu
The
throne of Israel is not established, nor does true faith stand, except through
charity
And
Israel will only be redeemed through charity
(Hilkhot
Mattenot Aniyim 10:1)
The Gemara in Kiddushin
(40a) adds that
mitzvot bein
adam le-chavero are essential for becoming a true tzaddik:
Rava
said: Rav Idi explained to me [the following verse], Say about the
tzaddik who is good that he will enjoy
the fruits of his good deeds (Yeshayahu 3:10). Is there a
tzaddik who is good and a tzaddik
who is not good? Rather, he who is
good to Heaven and good to man, that is a
tzaddik who is good; good to Heaven but not good to man, that is a
tzaddik who is not good.
At the beginning of his commentary to tractate Pea,
Rabbenu Asher ben Yechiel (the Rosh) learns from this the following:
For the
Holy One, blessed be He, has greater desire for those mitzvot by which
one also pleases other people than for the mitzvot between man and his
Maker.
The Rosh
seems to be rather clear on this point.
Contrary to peoples tendency to be more
concerned about their relationship with God than their relationships with their
fellow human beings, it is the interpersonal mitzvot which have greater
value in Gods eyes.
Torah Study and Chesed
In a
number of places, chesed and Torah study appear as the two necessary
aspects of a healthy religious life.
The Talmud relates the importance of chesed in the pre-messianic era:
Rabbi
Elazar was asked by his students, What must a person do to be spared the
birth-pangs of the Messiah?
[He
replied:] Let him engage in Torah study and gemilut chasadim. (Sanhedrin
98b)
Moreover,
numerous interpersonal mitzvot appear in the well-known list of
mitzvot of which one eats their fruits in this world, but the principal is
saved for reward in the next world (Pea 1:1). The list concludes with the
phrase, And Torah study is equal to them all.
Torah study alone, with all of its significance and weight, is only part
of the equation, though a very big part.
Throughout the Talmud, we are told of the advantages of one who is
involved in study and chesed, as opposed to one whose sole focus is Torah
study.
Indeed,
regarding the curse that all male descendants of the house of the High Priest
Eli would die young, the Talmud (Rosh Hashana 18a) records a
dispute between Rava and Abbayei about what would be necessary to rescind the
decree. Rava maintains that constant
Torah study would stave off death, while Abbayei feels Torah study coupled with
gemilut chasadim would be necessary.
Who is correct? The Talmud
notes that Rava and Abbayei were both descended from the House of Eli. Rava, who engaged in Torah study,
lived forty years; Abbayei, who engaged in both Torah study and acts of
kindness, lived sixty years.
Interestingly, the Talmud relates elsewhere (Kiddushin 52a et al.) that, save
for six instances, we always side with Rava in his disputes with Abbayei. Rava, in fact, dedicated his life to
Torah study, and he may have been a greater scholar. However, it is Abbayei, with his
added focus on chesed, who is seemingly viewed as more precious. The Talmud (Taanit 21b-22a) states
that a heavenly voice would greet Abbayei once a week and Rava only once a year,
and it notes that a certain saintly doctor received a heavenly voice daily. While the passage relates that Rava
was distressed over this and was told that he should be satisfied with the fact
that his merit protected the city, it does seem to indicate some preference for
Abbayei.
Furthermore, the Talmud (Megilla 28a) lists numerous scholars who attributed
their long life not to their diligence in the study of Torah, but rather to
their interpersonal behavior, which was marked by extreme care in their dealings
with others. This, in fact, echoes a
psalm of King David:
Who is
the one that wants long life, who loves days to see good?
Guard
your lips from speaking evil
Turn away
from evil and do good; seek out peace and run after it. (Tehillim
34:13-15)
We are
told numerous times that the study of Torah is insufficient if it is not
accompanied by acts of chesed.
The Talmud (Avoda Zara 17b) relates the story of Rabbi Chanina Ben
Teradyon and Rabbi Elazar ben Parta, who were arrested by the Roman authorities
at the same time. Rabbi Chanina
tells his cellmate that although Rabbi Elazar was being held on account of five
counts of anti-Roman activity and Rabbi Chanina was arrested on one, Rabbi
Elazar was the one who would be saved because he had involved himself in both
Torah and chesed, unlike Rabbi Chanina, who had engaged only in Torah. The Talmud goes on to explain that,
in fact, Rabbi Chanina was the gabbai tzedaka, the one in charge
of charitable funds and thus heavily involved in feeding the poor and needy;
nevertheless, he did not do chesed to the degree expected of a man of his
stature, and he was therefore held accountable.
Even the
greatest scholars can be punished if they are remiss in their interpersonal
duties. In more than one place in
the Talmud and Midrash, those who advocate exceptional adherence to ritual and
even the study of Torah are taken to task for failing to live up to the
standards of interpersonal behavior incumbent upon spiritual exemplars. The most famous instance of this is
the death of the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva who failed to treat each other
with due respect (Yevamot 51b).
The Essence of the Torah
From all
of the above, we learn that while the importance of adherence to ritual and that
of dedication to Torah study are not to be overlooked, exemplary interpersonal
conduct is essential for a proper, righteous life. The goal of this series is to study
this aspect of the Torah.
In fact,
one need not search too long to prove the fundamental significance of this area
of Halakha. The Talmud (Shabbat 31a)
tells us of the individual who asked to be converted to Judaism on the condition
that the whole Torah could be explained to him while standing on one foot. The scholar Shammai rejected him out
of hand, but when Hillel was approached, he responded, That which you dont
like, dont do to your friend. That
is the essence of the entire Torah; the rest, go and study. The simple understanding of Hillels
statement (though Rashi offers a different explanation) is that the Torah is
essentially concerned with ones not acting toward others as one would not want
to be treated.
I hope to
further demonstrate how these mitzvot reflect the essence of the Torah. We will come to understand the
parameters of these interpersonal directives, as well as how we are supposed to
model our attitudes and behavior.
The Challenges of This Analysis
Before
embarking on the journey to acquire a new appreciation of the interpersonal
mitzvot, we must be aware of the challenge involved in studying them. There are at least three difficulties
to overcome before we can hope that mastering these laws will lead to their
internalization.
1) The lack of appreciation of their
importance
We have
cited many sources to emphasize the significance of these laws, for the simple
reason that many often believe otherwise.
Numerous commentators have remarked on the common assumption that one can
be a good Jew if one carefully adheres to the mitzvot bein adam la-Makom,
even if one is remiss in fulfilling mitzvot bein adam le-chavero. The Chatam Sofer, for example,
writes:
We have
found righteous and upstanding individuals who will readily sacrifice themselves
for the slightest detail and nuance of mitzvot bein adam la-Makom, but
when it comes to interpersonal relationships they are extremely lenient, for not
everyone is capable of foregoing [what they feel is] their full share. (Derashot,
p. 245)
Many fail
to realize that one who is negligent in his or her interpersonal mitzvot
has not only violated mitzvot of the Torah, but has also shown a basic
misunderstanding of the totality of the Torah.
It is the Torah itself that elevates mitzvot bein adam le-chavero
to an essential part of our existence.
A Torah Jew is a Jew committed to God and to the way the Torah tells us
to deal with our fellow man; it is the Torah itself that stresses these
mitzvot.
2) The sheer difficulty involved in these
laws
Many find
the ritual laws much easier to adhere to than the ones that involve other human
beings. It is often far easier to
cede to God than to view oneself as ceding to ones fellow.
3) The need for mastery in this area
The need
to be meticulous in the fulfillment of these mitzvot adds to their
difficulty. As we shall see, more
than specific overarching commands, this area of Halakha is marked by
principles, and their fulfillment is very situational; different circumstances
carry different requirements.
Mastery of these laws requires a firm understanding of human nature and the
ability to apply the principles to the various predicaments that arise.
In this
series, we will analyze the sources of the interpersonal commands and their
basic details, with an eye towards understanding the actions incumbent upon us,
as well as the emotions and outlooks these mitzvot are designed to help
us internalize. By doing so, I hope
that we may develop a Godly personality in understanding, feeling and deed.
This website is constantly being improved. We would appreciate hearing from you. Questions and comments on the classes are welcome, as is help in tagging, categorizing, and creating brief summaries of the classes. Thank you for being part of the Torat Har Etzion community!