Kaisipang Hudyo sa Levitico 19:3: Akeidat Yitzchak, Nineteen Letters & Duties

Although as a rule the parable is used to help the reader or listener understand a difficult subject by means of illustrating concepts familiar to him, there are occasions when the parable is used in reverse. An example of the former usage is the verse "as a father chastises his son, so does the Lord chastise you." (Deut. 8,5.) On the other hand, the line "you will be like G'd, knowing good and evil," (Genesis 3,5) is an example of the use of the parable in reverse. Although we have no concept of the essence of G'd, we do understand the concepts of "good" and "evil;" ergo it helps to define G'd by saying that this knowledge is one of His attributes. Or, as the Talmud Berachot 10, says "just as G'd fills the universe, so does our soul fill our body." The subject "G'd" can be brought closer to our understanding, although the essence of G'd remains a mystery. Drawing conclusions from the known microcosm regarding the nature of G'd, the great unknown, is only possible with the aid of the Torah, G'ds revealed law. Since Greek philosophers have no such terms of reference they cannot draw any valid conclusions. The latter, observing three kinds of life in our world, i.e. plants, animals and humans, and noting that man comprehends all three kinds of life, concluded that man has three souls, one each to enable him to comprehend the various forms of life respectively. They did not realise that a single soul can govern all three aspects of life, (provision of food, motion and intelligent planning) Shimon the Just tells us that since man is heir to such a tripowered soul, one that governs vegetable, animal and human abilities, he must therefore assume a threefold moral obligation corresponding to his endowments. These obligations are the promotion of Torah, Avodah, i.e. service in matters relating to the man/G'd relationship and the performance of kind deeds, i.e. building social relationships with his fellow human beings. This is a suitable introduction to the whole tractate of Avot. When the Talmud says "the kingdom of earth is similar to the kingdom of Heaven," (Berachot 58) the meaning may well be that just as we find in the "upper" world both purely spiritual beings as well as bodies, (galaxies) although the essence of that world is spiritual, abstract, so we find in our "lower" world creatures possessed of spiritual capabilities, although by definition these creatures belong to an essentially physical world. Human beings have been equipped with a soul to aid them in performing their physical functions properly, just as the galaxies have been equipped with bodies to enable them to perform their spiritual functions properly. At the same time, just as there are completely disembodied spirits in the "upper" world, so there are completely lifeless bodies in our "lower" world, such as stones etc. Just as the planets in the galaxies have bodies to help them perform the tasks assigned to them by the Creator, so the animal kingdom has a kind of "soul" to help it perform the task assigned to it by the Creator in the scheme of things in our world. It is however, impossible to classify the soul of man as having been designed to serve his body, else one would have to believe that man's soul perishes at the same time his body dies, seeing it has no longer a function to perform. In that latter event, man would hardly possess an advantage over the animals. Rather, man is to be viewed as the counterpart to the angels, who appear in human form on occasion, i.e. equipped with a body, in order to perform a task that requires them to become visible to man. We refer to such apparitions as have been granted to Hagar, Lot, Gideon, Manoach and others. In all those instances, the bodies were corollaries to the angels' spirits. By the same token, man, or especially Jews, have been given a body to assist their souls to perform their tasks. The task of the Jewish people is to perform a mission on behalf of G'd, and the task of the High Priest is to do the same in an even more intensive and specific manner. The High Priest wears the special garments when he performs service in the holy Temple. These garments are worn only once, and were not passed on even to his successor. They had to be removed immediately upon termination of the respective service performed in the Temple. Angels appeared in one kind of human garb only once, since each angel was entrusted with only one mission at a time. A number of Midrashim elaborate on this parallel between the "upper" world and our own world down here. (Vayikra Rabbah 21) Once we accept this comparison, the statement that the Jewish people are to be a kingdom of priests illustrates the functions we are to perform even better. The function of the Jewish people is to act as messenger/priest for mankind. We are given a special equipment to help us perform this task, i.e. Torah etc. If we abuse this equipment for personal advancement instead of employing it to perform our tasks, we are guilty of treason both vis a vis G'd and vis a vis mankind. Our punishment in such an eventuality will reflect the severity of the crime.

Presumably, it represented the five illusory powers Achaziah recognised as deities. The first five of the ten commandments, dealing with the relationship between man and G'd, also warn against these five faulty philosophic concepts. Anochi, "I," means "I alone," not even the invisible intellectual concept of "time" has power to control our destiny. Lo Yihyeh, refers to the celestial forces moving the constellations and galaxies. Lo Tissa, do not use the name of G'd in vain, means that if one subscribes to the theory that everything is preordained, employing the name of G'd is equivalent to a denial of G'd, seeing that one does not view Him as a free agent. Zachor, abstaining from work on the Sabbath, proves that we do not believe that we are subject to the "Prince of the day," who supposedly decides what will or will not succeed on that day. "Honouring" parents, as distinct from "fearing" them, as demanded elsewhere in the Torah, teaches that our natural origins do not determine the course of our lives, though they have a share in influencing it. Moses again and again emphasised that at the revelation at Mount Sinai the Jewish people saw fire but no form or image. The people begged G'd to stop the sound and the fire, and G'd concurred. They also asked that Moses the prophet be their intermediary, to communicate G'ds will and words to them. The acceptance of their request by G'd, and the subsequent promise to supply other prophets in lieu of Moses, made obedience to the prophet a cornerstone of Judaism henceforth.

Concerning Ben Zoma's definition of who is an honoured and respected person, Ben Zoma agrees with the prevailing philosophies, adding from his own wisdom. According to Aristotele, ethics section one chapter two, honour is not a true possession, but remains forever outside the person himself. If it were a true possession, it would have to be at one's disposal constantly and irrevocably. This is clearly not the case, since control of one's honour resides with one's peers, one's superiors or one's inferiors. It cannot therefore, be an attribute that is desirable for its own sake. Honour is desired in order to impress the beholder with the stature of the person being accorded that honour. Being beloved is superior to being accorded honour. Being accorded honour, merely gives the impression that one is beloved, substitutes the image for the substance. It is clearly desirable therefore, to be beloved, in order for the "honour" to become something of substance rather than remain a phantom. What better way to achieve that substance then but to accord honour to others, thereby gaining friendship and goodwill from those whom one honours. Since true virtues, at any rate, are desirable for the good the owner can accomplish through them, honour is not a virtue unless it is used to achieve that goal of doing good. Ben Zoma teaches that by honouring others, one's own honour becomes a vicarious virtue. We find the Almighty described as the "King of glory" in Psalms 24,9. This term is used because HE accords honour to His creatures, not because they honour Him. Rabbi Shimon points out in Numbers Rabbah 14, that it is to those who respect Him that G'd accords honour. Similarly, kings of flesh and blood accord honour to deserving subjects. Ahasverus wanted to know what honour to accord to Mordechai (Esther 6,6). This kind of honour is described by the Midrash as being like jewels that deserve to be set in a golden mounting. However, if someone were to mount a stone or piece of wood in a golden setting fit for jewels, he would surely cause himself to be ridiculed. Therefore, Solomon says in Proverbs 26,8, "as a pebble in a heap of stones, so is he who accords honour to a fool." If someone takes note of a pebble amongst a heap of precious stones, he is acting foolishly. We learn therefore, that the degree of honour accorded a person must be commensurate with the person's worth. Only in this manner can the objective of according someone honour be realised. Indiscriminate honour heaped on all one's fellow men is counterproductive, and will merely alert the citizenry to the foolishness of its ruler. Thus the end of the quotation Ben Zoma cited, "those who fail to honour Me, will become objects of derision." Such people demean themselves by withholding honour from Him who is deserving of it. They will end up being of no consequence themselves. All these examples show that the way to saintliness lies in observance of all these virtues. If, instead of equating a wise man with a person who feels superior to everyone around him, we equate him with personifying humility; if instead of equating bravery with the conquests of countries and nations, we equate it with self control; if instead of "rich" meaning that one is in control of vast amounts of material wealth , we equate it with "serene and content," then such persons are well on the way to saintliness which is the objective of the third category of people discussed at the outset. Holiness is not achieved merely by abstaining from everything forbidden, only by the judicious rejection of even those pleasures which are inherently permissible but are not permitted when used simply to afford one an opportunity to indulge one's senses. When viewed in this manner, the string of negative commandments following the instruction to become holy, may at first glance be in conflict with the view we have advanced. Leviticus 19,3-4,5-10,11-20, all deal with prohibitons. It is remarkable that our sages said that the reason the chapter dealing with immorality, (Leviticus 18) is followed by the command to be holy, is because wherever we find immorality held in check, holiness is close by. On the surface, this appears to mean that whosoever does not indulge in immoral acts, is already holy. This is, of course, quite preposterous.