The Jewish Attitude Toward Gentiles (1)

 

            I chose this title, which is an adaptation of Rabbenu Tam's statement (Tosafot, Yevamot 61a: "Gentiles fall under the category of 'Man'"), in order to express the Jewish position regarding this problematic topic.  Public debate, political interests, and naivete can sometimes transform technical legal issues, precise wordings, hints and subtle and sophisticated parables, into weapons of war in any ideological struggle.  In such cases, clarification of the issues becomes a necessity, even if it compels the reader, accustomed to consuming wholesale slogans, to deal with the issues themselves once and for all.

 

            Let us begin our discussion with a telling quote from the Midrash:

 

"Rabbi Akiva said: The verse, 'Love your neighbor as yourself' (Leviticus 19:18) is a great principle of the Torah.  Ben Azai said: The verse, 'This is the book of the history of mankind' (Genesis 5:1) is a greater principle still." (Bereishit Rabba, Theodor-Albeck edition, Jerusalem 1965, page 237)

 

            I will not enter here upon an analysis of the argument between Rabbi Akiva and Ben Azai, nor will I attempt to clarify the conclusions which these two principles generate.  I will simply note that we are faced here with two examples of a larger family of 'great principles,' or maxims, which generate additional commandments and rules.  The commandment "Love your neighbor as yourself" cannot be limited to a mere emotional obligation or even to an obligation to perform a specific type of action.  Were we to interpret our obligation in this manner, this commandment would take on the properties of any other particular commandment.  We are faced not with an individual commandment but rather with an encompassing principle, from which we may derive specific commandments and prohibitions.  These principles serve as the key to understanding every philosophical problem relating to ethics and mores.  This concept is prevalent throughout the Rambam's writings, and particularly in the Book of Commandments (second principle), in his critique of the method used by the author of the Halakhot Gedolot:

 

"Those who rely on this reasoning count among the 613 biblical commandments visiting the sick, comforting the mourners and burying the dead because of the exegesis mentioned above, as God said 'And tell them the path to follow [lit., to go in it] and the action that they should perform" (Shemot 18:26), and the Rabbis said - "the path" - this refers to acts of kindness; "to go" - this refers to visiting the sick; "in it" - this refers to burying the dead; "and the action" - this refers to the laws; "that they should perform" - this refers to acts beyond the letter of the law (Bava Kama 30b).  And they thought that each and every one of these actions was a commandment unto itself, and they did not know that all these actions and other similar ones come under the rubric of one commandment out of [the 613 commandments] that are written in the Torah explicitly, namely God's statement, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

 

            This idea is repeated in the Rambam's explanation of  Positive Commandment #206, in his Laws of the Mourner (14:1), as well as in his commentary on the Mishna (Pe'ah 1:1), in which he states: "All of the interpersonal commandments are included in the category of gemilut chasadim (acts of kindness); meditate on them and you will discover them.  Consider what Hillel the Elder said when the Gentile asked that he teach him the whole Torah while standing on one foot: 'What is hateful to you, do not do unto your friend.'"  The Rambam warns us: Do not expect to find all these particulars in infinite detail, for they are all included within the larger principle.

 

"Walk in His ways:" Imitatio Dei

 

            At first glance, it seems that "Love your neighbor as yourself" is the highest moral principle in the halakhic system; however, a closer look will demonstrate that this is untrue.  An additional principle, one that we oftentimes forget, takes precedence over the first rule.  The Rambam worded this principle as follows (Book of Commandments, Positive commandment 8):

 

"[This commandment is] that God commanded us to resemble Him as much as possible and that is the meaning of "and you shall walk in his ways" (Deuteronomy 28:9).  This commandment was repeated [in the verse] "...to walk in all His ways," and the explanation was given that just as God is called compassionate so you should be compassionate; just as God is called merciful so you should be merciful; just as God is called kind, so you should be kind.  This idea was reiterated in different words [in the verse] "Follow the Lord your God" (Devarim 13:5) and the explanation was given that one should resemble [God] in the good deeds and honorable character traits that may be used to describe God Almighty by way of parable [although in reality] He is very much above all this."

 

            We are faced with two similar principles, which seemingly generate exactly the same laws.  Therefore, it is important to distinguish between them.  And the difference is indeed significant.  The rule, "Love your neighbor as yourself" has a limitation (Laws of the Mourner 14:1): "Behold, these are included in 'Love your neighbor as yourself:' all the things that you would like others to do for you, do them yourself for your brother-in-Torah (i.e. non-apostate Jews)."  "Love your neighbor as yourself" is limited in its scope, and is undoubtedly based on the idea of the covenant, the desire to create a community, a nation, that will achieve its religious objectives through the principle of mutual responsibility.  The idea is confined within the borders of the concept of "your neighbor."  The members of this community are considered, in an allegorical sense, to be limbs of a single body, and must view themselves as such.  In the words of the Radvaz, the relationships within the nation can be likened to a man "who struck his own hand with a knife.  Can he strike the hand that struck him?  The meaning of this is that all of Israel is one body and their souls were hewn from the Place of Unity, and [therefore]... all of Israel are guarantors for each other" (Metzudat David, Berakhot 3b).  To walk in God's ways, on the other hand, creates a moral system based on the sanctity of every individual, not on the idea of community.  "And you shall walk in His ways" is a broad moral rule without any boundaries, for God bestows His goodness upon wicked and righteous alike.

 

            The Rambam bases his attitude to the Gentiles on this principle.  Our obligation to behave morally knows none of the limitations that encumber other rules.  The Rambam writes (Hilkhot Melakhim 10:12):

 

"Even [regarding] Gentiles, the Rabbis commanded [us] to visit their sick and to bury their dead along with the dead of the Jews, and to support their poor along with all the Jewish paupers, because of "ways of peace."  Behold it was said: 'God is good to all and His mercies are on all His creations' (Psalms 145:9), and it was said: 'Its [the Torah's] ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace' (Proverbs 3:17)."

 

            The verse from Psalms, "and His mercies are on all His creations," teaches us the deep meaning of the principle, "and you should walk in His ways."  We choose the 'ways of peace' since God's ways, which we are commanded to emulate, are the ways of peace.

 

            It is a well-known fact that we uphold a halakhic principle, which is particularly relevant in our attitude to the Gentiles, known as "darkei shalom" - "ways of peace."  On the surface, it seems that this is merely a pragmatic principle: to avoid potentially dangerous situations involving angering the Gentiles; out of fear for our lives, we must relate to the Gentiles with patience and tolerance.  However, the Rambam teaches us a different concept altogether.  We do not chose 'ways of peace' out of fear or utility.  The Rambam writes (Hilkhot Melakhim 9:8): "And thus regarding the attributes of God, [through which]... He commanded us to resemble Him ... He says: 'and His mercies are on all His creations."  The source for this idea can be found in the Talmudic story about Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi (Berakhot 7a), who desired to curse the apostate who was harassing him.  When he failed to curse him even at God's moment of wrath, he understood that God had taught him a lesson.  He then said: "We learn from this that it is not the way of the world to do so; 'and His mercies are on all his creations' [Scripture] says, and it says, 'Punishment is not good for the pious as well' (Proverbs 17)," meaning that even the case of a pious man punishing an apostate constitutes a moral fall!

 

            There are several other factors which need to be discussed when formulating the Jewish attitude to Gentiles.  We will elaborate on this theme in the next three lectures.

 

(This lecture was translated by Gila Weinberg.)

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Copyright (c)1996 Prof. Shalom Rosenberg, Yeshivat Har Etzion.  All rights reserved.