DEUT420 One of the Rabbis' most important teachings, based on a biblical commandment, is the duty to imitate God's deeds (imitatio dei; see Deuteronomy 28:9 and this verse) [See the discussion of commandment 611 ("The precept to emulate the good and right ways of the Eternal Lord") in Sefer Ha-Hinnuch.] Yet, because of the rabbinic commandment to ethical behavior, the Rabbis limit the traits of God that we should imitate to those that promote kindness and holiness. ... we do not find in rabbinic literature statements instructing Jews to imitate God's more aggressive attributes. Thus, although the Torah speaks of God as "a jealous God," Jews are never enjoined, "Just as God is jealous so must you be jealous," or "Just as God is a zealot, so must you be zealots." [Dr. Samuel Belkin explains the reason for this omission: "[I]t is only God, who rules over jealousy, who is called a 'jealous God.' Man, who has no power to rule over jealousy, must rather imitate God in His attribute of kindness, and not in his attribute of jealousy" (In His Image, 29-30).