“Love and Hate”

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Throughout this site I may use any of the following three versions of the TaNaKh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917), 2. Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org” (SEF).

Colour coded details of the - TaNaKh:

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*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.

Please Note: Some alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ having been corrected like it once was, pre the “Masoretic Text”.

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Remember the following two truth’s from our beloved Scriptures!

“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם (the LORD your Eloleichem) which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).

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“Love and Hate?”

Vayikra - Leviticus 19:17-18..

With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

Introduction:

Leviticus 19:1 to 18 (JPS-1917) is a concentrated call to communal holiness: it frames a series of ethical commands, ‘worship’, ‘family’ and ‘Sabbath duties’, ‘social justice’, and ‘interpersonal conduct’, rooted in the declaration “You shall be holy” and culminating in the injunction to love and correct one’s neighbour”.

This chapter opens with a divine summons to Moses to address the whole assembly of Israel and to set out what holiness looks like in everyday life. The chapter moves rapidly from ‘ritual’ and ‘cultic concerns’, such as ‘the Sabbath’, ‘offerings’, ‘idolatry’ to ‘social and moral laws’ (care for the poor, honest business, sexual ethics, and treatment of strangers), presenting holiness not as abstract purity but as concrete behaviour in community life. This section (verses 1 to 18) functions as a compact ethical charter: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s own holiness is the model and motive for Israel’s conduct!

Looking at the title of this study, named “Love and Hate”:

At the very centre of the Mosaic books, Vayikra - Leviticus. At the beginning of it, is the “holiness code” (chapter 19) with its momentous call:

“Ye shall be holy; for I אֱלֹהֵיכֶם- יְהוָה- The LORD your Eloheichem, am Holy”. Leviticus 19:2b.

And at the centre of chapter 19 is are two paragraph’s which, by its positioning, is the apex, the high point, of the Torah, let us briefly

Vayikra - Leviticus 19:17-18. (JPS-1917).

17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart; thou shalt surely rebuke thy neighbour, and not bear sin because of him. 18. Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD”.

Further information:

Leviticus 19:1-18 (JPS-1917) is a concentrated call to communal holiness: It frames a series of ethical commands, such as ‘worship’, ‘family’ and ‘Sabbath duties’, ‘social justice’, and ‘interpersonal conduct’, rooted in the declaration “You shall be holy” and culminating in the injunction to love and correct one’s neighbour”.

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Let us now read the Leviticus chapter 19, verses 1 to 18. (Being the JPS-1917 version).

1. “And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:

2. Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them: Ye shall be holy; for I אֱלֹהֵיכֶם- יְהוָה- The LORD your Eloheichem, am Holy.

3. Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and ye shall keep My sabbaths: I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם- יְהוָה- the LORD your Eloheichem.

4. Turn ye not unto the idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם- יְהוָה- the LORD your Eloheichem.

5. And when ye offer a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto יְהוָה - the LORD, ye shall offer it that ye may be accepted.

6. It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow; and if aught remain until the third day, it shall be burnt with fire.

7. And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is a vile thing; it shall not be accepted.

8. But every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the holy thing of יְהוָה - the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from his people.

9. And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corner of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest.

10. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather the fallen fruit of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם- יְהוָה- the LORD your Eloheichem.

11. Ye shall not steal; neither shall ye deal falsely, nor lie one to another.

12. And ye shall not swear by My Name falsely, so that thou profane the Name of thy אֱלֹהִים - Elohim: I am יְהוָה - the LORD.

13. Thou shalt not oppress thy neighbour, nor rob him; the wages of a hired servant shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.

14. Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling-block before the blind, but thou shalt fear thy אֱלֹהִים - Elohim: I am יְהוָה.

15. Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment; thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor favour the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

16. Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people; neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbour: I am יְהוָה - the LORD.

17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart; thou shalt surely rebuke thy neighbour, and not bear sin because of him.

18. Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am יְהוָה - the LORD”.

Returning to my thoughts of this study:

May I add, that I am somewhat repetitive in this study, but it is for a reason, as a certain verse needs to be remembered!

In this study, we will examine the second of these provisions:

“ ... thou shalt surely rebuke thy neighbour, and not bear sin because of him.”

Both Rambam and Ramban agree in seeing two different levels of meaning in this sentence. This is how Rambam (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon , c. 1138-1204) puts it:

“When one person sins against another, the latter should not hate him and remain silent. As it is said about the wicked”.

“And Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor evil, although Absalom hated Amnon.”

He is commanded to speak to him and to say to him, “Why did you do such-and-such to me, and Why did you sin against me in such-and-such a matter?” as it is said.

“You must surely admonish your neighbour.”

If he repents and requests forgiveness from him, he must forgive and not be cruel, as it is said, “And Abraham prayed to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim ...”

“If someone sees his fellow committing a sin or embarking on a path that is not good, it is a commandment to make him return to the good and to make known to him that he is sinning against himself by his evil actions, as it is said, “You must surely admonish your neighbour…”

Likewise, Ramban. (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, 1194-1270).

“You shall surely remonstrate with your neighbour” ... this is a separate command , namely that we must teach him the reproof of instruction. “And not bear sin because of him” - for you will bear sin because of his transgression if you do not rebuke him.

However, it seems to me that the correct interpretation is that the expression; “you shall surely remonstrate” is to be understood in the same way as “And Abraham remonstrated with Avimelech”.

The verse is thus saying:

“Do not hate your brother in your heart when he does something to you against your will, but instead you should remonstrate with him, saying, ‘Why did you do this to me?’ and you will not bear sin because of him by covering up your hatred in your heart and not telling him, for when you remonstrate with him, he will justify himself before you or he will regret his action and admit his sin, and you will forgive him.” Loosely based on Leviticus 17: 17-18.

The difference between the two interpretations is that one is social, the other interpersonal. On Rambam’s second and Ramban’s first reading, the command is about collective responsibility. When we see a fellow Hebrew about to commit a sin, we must try to persuade him not to do so. We are not allowed to say, “That is a private matter between him and אֱלֹהִים - Elohim”. “All Israel,” said the Sages, “are sureties for one another”. We are each responsible, not only for our own conduct, but for the behaviour of others. That is a major chapter in Hebrew law and thought.

However, both ‘Rambam’ and ‘Ramban’ are aware that this is not the plain sense of the text. Taken in context, what we have before us is a subtle account of the psychology of interpersonal relations.

We have sometimes been accused by Christian leaders of being more about justice rather than love, but have they ever read the Torah? Obviously not!

If someone has done us harm, it is natural to feel aggrieved. What then are we to do in order to fulfil the command, “Do not hate your brother in your heart”? The Torah’s answer is: ‘Speak’, ‘Converse’, ‘Challenge’, ‘Remonstrate’. It may be that the other person had a good reason for doing what he did. Or it may be that he was acting out of malice, in which case our remonstration will give him, if he so chooses, the opportunity to apologise, and we should then forgive him. In either case, talking it through is the best way of restoring a broken relationship. Once again we encounter here one of the leitmotivs of Hebraism: the power of speech to create, sustain and mend relationships.

‘Maimonides’ cites a key proof-text. The story is told (2 Samuel 13) of how Amnon, one of King David’s children, raped his half-sister ‘Tamar’. When Absalom, Tamar’s brother, heard about the episode, his reaction seems on the face of it irenic, ‘serene’:

Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet, now my sister; he is your brother. Don’t take this thing to heart”. And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, a desolate woman. When King David heard all this, he was furious. Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad . . .”

Appearances, however, deceive. Absalom is anything but forgiving. He waits for two years, and then invites Amnon to a festive meal at sheep-shearing time. He gives instructions to his men: “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him.” And so it happened.

Absalom’s silence was not the silence of forgiveness but of hate. There is another equally powerful example in Bereishit - Genesis:

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age, and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him (velo yachlu dabro leshalom), literally, “they could not speak with him to peace”.

It was said; “Had they been able to sit together as a group, they would have spoken to one another and remonstrated with each other, and would eventually have made their peace with one another. The tragedy of conflict is that it prevents people from talking together and listening to one another.” A failure to communicate is often the prelude to revenge.

The inner logic of the two verses in our sedra is therefore this:

“Love your neighbour as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18 ). But not all neighbours are loveable. There are those who, out of envy or malice, have done you harm. I do not therefore command you to live as if you were angels, without any of the emotions natural to human beings. I do however forbid you to hate. That is why, when someone does you wrong, you must confront the wrongdoer. You must tell him of your feelings of hurt and distress. It may be that you completely misunderstood his intentions. Or it may be that he genuinely meant to do you harm, but now, faced with the reality of the injury he has done you, he may sincerely repent of what he did. If, however, you fail to talk it through, there is a real possibility that you will bear a grudge and in the fullness of time, come to take revenge – as did Absalom.

What is so impressive about the Torah is that it both articulates the highest of high ideals and at the same time speaks to us as human beings. If we were angels it would be easy to love one another. But we are not. An ethic that commands us to love our enemies, without any hint as to how we are to achieve this, is simply unliveable. Instead, the Torah sets out a realistic programme. By being honest with one another, talking things through, we may be able to achieve reconciliation – not always, to be sure, but often. How much distress and even bloodshed might be spared if humanity heeded this simple command.

In conclusion, let us look at the structure and some key themes: You shall be holy; for I אֱלֹהֵיכֶם- יְהוָה- The LORD your Eloheichem, am Holy” sets the theological basis for the laws that follow.

Relational ethics: Commands address family respect, Sabbath observance, fair treatment of workers, leaving gleanings for the poor, and prohibitions against theft, falsehood, and hatred.

Neighbour love as capstone: The sequence culminates in the famous commands about not hating, not avenging, and loving one’s neighbour as oneself, linking ritual holiness to social justice and mutual responsibility.

My final thoughts on verses 17-18:

Verse 17. Instructs against hating a fellow Israelite in one’s heart, and requires rebuke when one sees another sinning. The verse balances two poles: ‘internal attitude’ (do not harbour hatred) and active ‘responsibility’ (do not conceal wrongdoing; correct it). Personally, I read this as a communal ethic: private resentment undermines covenant life, while constructive rebuke, which is done with the aim of ‘restoration’, which will protect the community and the sinner from further harm. The rebuke is not punitive gossip but a ‘moral duty’ that presumes care for the other’s welfare and community’s integrity.

Verse 18. This provides the positive summary: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” This is, without a doubt the ethical hinge of the passage. It reframes many specific prohibitions into a single guiding principle: ‘actions toward others’ should be governed by the same concern one has for oneself. In later Hebraic readings this verse becomes foundational it is central to the law, because it translates ‘holiness’ into ‘empathetic’, ‘practical love’ and ‘limits retaliation’ by ‘forbidding vengeance’, and ‘bearing’.

Thus what is the correct answer?:

Correction must ‘be loving’ and aimed at ‘restoration’, certainly not ‘shaming them’; it presumes ‘relationship’ and ‘responsibility’. Always remember and ask yourself the question, ‘Am I so perfect and have I not sinned as well at various times?’

“Love of neighbour” functions as the interpretive key for the chapter: ‘ritual observance’, for without ‘neighbourly justice’ and ‘compassion will be incomplete’.

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אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, בְּחֻקּוֹתַי לֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי שִׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשׂוּ אוֹתָם

וְאֶת-שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, קַדֵּשׁוּ; וְהָיוּ לְאוֹת, בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם-לָדַעַת, כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם

“I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloheichem; walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them; and hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloheichem”. Yechezkel - Ezekiel 20:19-20. (JPS).

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“The More Torah, the More Life”

For אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, Blessed be His Sanctified Name,

He is the one who gave us our Life!”

May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts. be with you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as the ‘מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s (Prayers) and regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s (blessings) before food and drinks, etc!

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!

Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

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