LEV694 The mention of Sabbath observance and reverence for parents/elders both at the beginning and end of Leviticus 19 [vv. 3,30,32) suggests that we should view its central point, v.18's "Love your fellow as yourself: I am the Lord," [this verse] as the apex or climax of the chapter. Thus the verse that provides the greatest motivation for godly behavior in the social realm is situated at the focal point of the entire Pentateuch: there is no better indication than this of the centrality of ethical behavior in the Torah. Despite the Bible's consistent emphasis on God's demand for ethical behavior, the summation of the Torah in ethical terms, such as Hillel's "that which is hateful to you, do not do the others (B. Shabbat 31a) is a product of the period after the closing of the Bible. Exclusive fidelity to Israel's God and reverence for the holy, for example the Sabbath, were also essential in defining aspects of Israelite religion, according to the Torah and prophets. (By Elaine Adler Goodfriend, “Ethical Theory and Practice in the Hebrew Bible)