The “I Love My Fellow” Virus
The most difficult negative trait is envy. The antidote to envy is loving our fellow as ourselves, the “Great Principle of Torah. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM
A Fundamental Parsha Addressed to All
This week’s Parsha Kedoshim, which literally translates as “be holy” is an eclectic one. Virtually every area of Jewish law governing every aspect of life has been mentioned in it. From the laws governing the agriculture to the law against wearing a mixture of wool and linen; from Sabbath observance to not spreading gossip and dozens more commandments make up this week’s Torah reading.
Holiness in Judaism is not defined by the degree to which one divorces himself from the pleasures of life, but it is defined by the way one introduces a G- dly element into every facet of one’s existence. Whether it is respecting parents because they are G-d’s partners in our creation, or whether we do not stand idly by when our friend suffers, because each and every one of us is created in the image of G-d, ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM and we therefore treat human life with the utmost of respect, in either situation it is one’s awareness of G-d that sensitizes us into doing the correct thing. This is holiness.
Based on the above, it is no wonder that our Sages referred to this parsha as a fundamental one that had to be told to the entire Jewish community. All of the Jewish people were gathered to hear this Parsha, one could say, because it is all encompassing.
All, but One, of the Ten Commandments
The Midrash also emphasizes the uniqueness of this parsha in that all of the Ten Commandments (more accurately; the Ten Statements) are represented in it.
The last commandment to not covet someone else’s property is not mentioned explicitly, however, but, according to the Midrash, is alluded to by the commandment to love your fellow as yourself. As commentators explain, when one loves his fellow as himself he does not covet his property.
However, based on the omission of the last commandment because of its obvious nature, one can raise the following question:
ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM
Why then is there then a need to mention that one should not steal in this week’s parsha? Once we are told that we should love our fellow as ourselves, we can derive virtually all of the other commandments that govern our behavior with others. One would never steal from the person that he loves as himself.
What then distinguishes the commandment not to steal from the one not to covet? In the latter, it was not mentioned because it is a corollary of the commandment to love the other, whereas the commandment not to steal is mentioned although it too can be adduced from the commandment to love the other. What is the special connection that exists between loving your fellow as yourself and the commandment not to covet another’s property?
A Victimless Crime
There is a qualitative difference between the commandment not to covet and the commandments not to steal or commit murder. Unlike stealing and murder which cause obvious harm to the victim, coveting does not necessarily hurt anyone. For even if in the end coveting causes one to put pressure on the other to sell or give him the object that he covets, it is not something that is done against his ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM will.
So while theft or murder is certainly a repudiation of the commandment to love your fellow as yourself, these commandments possess an independent nature. The Torah commands us that even if I don’t love someone intensely, I still must and can recognize that stealing and killing is the opposite of leading a holy and decent life.
Thus, the Torah mentions these commandments explicitly even though they can be derived from the general principle of loving your fellow as yourself for those who are not quite at that level.
By contrast, the Mitzvah not to covet is singularly derived from the principle of love. If not for the fact that we must love one another, one could imagine that coveting in and of itself is not a vice. It does not necessarily cause any harm. Only the Divine imperative to love one another can dictate that we should and would not covet that which is not ours.
Loving Your fellow Missing in the Ten Commandments
This explanation could also serve as an answer to the question as to why such a fundamental principle ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM as loving your fellow as yourself was not incorporated into the Ten Commandants.
In light of the above analysis, we can say that indeed, the 10th Commandment prohibiting coveting is, in fact, predicated on and a derivative from the imperative to love your fellow.
The Last Challenge
The last commandment not to covet embodies the final challenge of humanity.
From the beginning of human civilization, jealousy was ingrained into our psyche. Cain killed Abel because he was envious of him.
The last teaching of Maimonides in his Mishneh Torah discusses the last changes to occur in the Messianic Age. Among them is that there will be no more jealousy.
How does such a basic ingrained human flaw change?
The answer is that when our eyes will be opened to see the G-dly nature of our souls, we will recognize out inherent unity and see only the good in the other. And as explained above, when we fulfill the mitzvah of loving the other as ourselves we will no ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM longer be beset by envy and covetousness.
In these last days of Galus-exile our challenge is to prepare for the events of the Messianic Age. When we endeavor to awaken our love for our fellow human being and particularly when it is applied to one’s family and the entire Jewish people — our extended family — we then create the ideal atmosphere to be receptive to G-d’s blessings, the greatest of which is the imminent arrival of Moshiach to take us out of exile and usher in a period of eternal Kedoshim-holiness and unity.
ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
