EXOD1035 Though transcendent, God can be approached through moral conduct. The thirteen attributes of God, revealed in the theophany to Moses [this and next verses], set forth standards of human behavior. Haggadists, rationalists and mystics alike employ them to trace the chart of life for man. To be like God one must act like Him. [See also Is. 61:8]. (Continued at [[EXOD214]] Exodus 15:2 glorify COHOH 150-1)

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LEV87 The uniqueness of the doctrine of Kiddush Hashem [sanctifying the Divine name through holy conduct - AJL] derives from its human side as the supreme ideal an obligation of the Jewish people. It makes its first appearance negatively in Amos 2:7, where the infraction of moral laws is denounced as a profanation of God's name. Isaiah demands of Israel the sanctification of God (8:13; cf. 19:21f.; 29:23) and defines the idea of sanctification in moral terms. "The Lord of hosts is exalted to justice and the Holy One is sanctified to righteousness" (5:16). This idea is central in the priestly writings in the Bible. By means of ceremonial deeds as well as through moral actions men sanctify and honor God. Priests, prophets and the whole people of Israel must so conduct themselves as to reflect credit upon the God they worship. "Through them that are nigh unto Me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified" (this verse; cf. Num 20:12; Deut. 32:15). When they fail to honor Him properly, His name is profaned. Ezekiel charged Israel with violation of the Torah, profanation of the Sabbaths, and despising the holy things (32:8, 26). Idolatry in any form constitutes a profanation of God's name, which God will not tolerate in Israel (Leviticus 20:3; 22:32). Religion is judged by the conduct of those who profess it. Not by word-of-mouth alone but by their whole lives men must witness to God. One's behavior must reflect the Divine, and render Him beloved by other men. The commandment "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God" (Deut. 6:5) is interpreted in the Sifre: "Make Him beloved by your fellowmen."

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LEV123 (Continued from [[LEV861]] Leviticus 20:26 apart COHON 167). These laws are classified by the rabbis as hukkim (statutes), which transcend human reason, and must be observed -- despite the derision of gentiles -- as means of consecration to God. Rab suggests a moral ground for their observance. "What difference does it make to God whether one slaughters the animal by cutting the neck in front or in the back? Or what matters it Him whether one eats pure or impure things? This shows that the commandments were given only for the purpose of testing men." Yoma 67b; Sifra to Lev. 20:26; Gen. R. 44:1 and notes by Theodor; Tanhuma, Shemini, 12; Maimonides, Guide, III:26. The ritual minutia of shehitah and of the other laws of kashrut are thus conceived as serving the purpose of trying and purifying human character. They were interpreted as safeguards against cruelty to animals, as measures to train man in self-discipline, and as means of distinguishing the Jews as a priest people and of submission to God's will. Ibid. Maimonides concludes his treatment of the dietary laws in his Code with a comment, "Whoever is careful in the observance of these matters invests himself with added holiness and purity, and cleanses his soul for God's sake, in keeping with the words [this verse]. In his Guide he writes that the object of observing them "is to restrain the growth of desire, the indulgence in seeking that which is pleasant, and the disposition to consider the appetite for food and drink as the end [of man's existence]." Guide, III, 26.

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LEV221 Religion is not so much knowledge of God as godly living. What distinguishes a religion from a system of science or philosophy is its concern with man's behavior. Theories of reality are vital to it only to the degree to which they help transform the lives of men and to affect their conduct. The inner response to the Divine, which forms the root of all religion, crystallizes itself into two concepts of the holy, into ideas of God and of the human soul and its destiny, and into convictions regarding personal and social duty. Emerging from the realm of vague feeling into definite thoughts and beliefs, it permeates the mind and the world. By serving as an extra dimension of their souls, inspiring, uplifting, and disciplining them, religion transforms the lives of men. The sacred, though as sharply distinguished from the secular as sunlight mountain air is distinguished from the air of the valley, does not remain isolated from it. The sacred strives to irradiate the secular, to purify and to ennoble it, and to endow it with its own transcendent values. In this regard the sacred resembles the beautiful, which while forming the special province of art, seeks to affect all experience. It translates itself into a quality of living and finds expression in thought and in action. Of the precepts of the Torah it was stated that man was to observe them in order that he may live by them [this verse, Ezek. 20:11, 13, 21).

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LEV277 Judaism rules out the deification and all worship of saints. Holy men are witnesses unto God, but not gods. They are not divine, but pathfinders to the Divine life. Their virtues light up the dark avenues of human life. In some ages their examples make a stronger appeal than in others. Only in God can each generation, in accordance with its own needs and lights, find the embodiment of its supreme aspirations and ideals, in God not as reflected in the life of one outstanding personality, but in Himself, super–personal, infinite and holy. Hence the call of Judaism: [this verse]. To become Godlike is the highest aim of man. See M. Lazarus, The Ethics of Judaism, pp. 111ff.

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LEV440 See [[EXOD790]] Exodus 23:3 favor COHON 197-8

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LEV542 This applies not only to brothers, for it is clear that one must love one's wife also and show affection for her--as it is written in the Talmud, "One who loves his wife as himself… [is blessed]." Yebamot 72b See also what our master and teacher Meir Ben Baruch of Rothenburg wrote in his collective responsa, "As for one who beats his wife, I have learned that we deal with him more harshly than with one who beats his neighbor. For he is not obligated to honor the neighbor, but he is obligated to honor his wife." [Collected Responsa 81:30.] There is also the prohibition against casting the evil eye on his wife, especially so as to cause her to die.… Hayyim Palaggi, Responsa Hikkeke Lev

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LEV564 The charge that Judaism limits the law of love to Jewish neighbors is contradicted not only by Leviticus 19:34 and Deuteronomy 10:19 but also by the whole emphasis of Judaism on love and brotherhood as basic elements in its ethical tradition. Hillel's teaching that man must love his fellow creatures and bring them near unto the Torah clearly includes all mankind under the law of love. The charge of misanthropy which, as we noted, was refuted by Josephus, reappeared in different form in the New Testament. Matthew 5:43 ascribes these words to Jesus: "Ye have heard that it was said, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thy enemy, 'but I say unto you, Love your enemies." (Continued at [[EXOD796]] Exodus 23:4 enemy COHON 213)

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LEV689 The Essenes, according to Philo, taught a threefold doctrine: love of God, love of virtue and the love of mankind. Philo Judaeus, ed. Yonge, III, On the Virtuous Being also Free, ch. 12. See Secrets of Enoch, 50:3-4. A Hasidic work of the first pre-Christian century contains the monition: "Love the Lord through all thy life, and one another with a true heart." The entire work is filled with the spirit. Love of God and the neighbor, compassion for the poor and the weak and even for the beasts are urged as the duty of man. Man must be compassionate, "because even as men doeth to his neighbor, even so also will the Lord do unto him." Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, Dan. 5:3; Issachar 5:1; also 7:6; Test. Zeb. 5:1-3; also 7:2, 8:1; Test Benj. 3:3; 10:3. Jesus, therefore, followed well-established Jewish teaching when he combined the commands to love God and to love one's neighbor. Matt. 22:37-39; Mark 12:29-31; Luke 10:27. In Luke the combination is made by a Pharisee. So, too, R. Akiba regarded the command "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" [this verse] as the leading principle of the Torah. Sifra to Lev. 19:18; Rashi, ad loc. (Numerous additional citations omitted-AJL). This view is probably related to his emphasis on man as created in the Divine image. By loving one's fellow man, love is shown to his Creator.

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LEV691 The Golden Rule. Hillel, while teaching the duty of man to "love his fellow creatures and to bring them near unto the Torah," Avot 1:12 also summarized the intent of the entire Torah in the words: "What is hateful into thee, do not to thy fellow man." Shabbat 31a. (Lengthy note omitted-AJL). Jewish and Christian scholars have sought to find in Hillel's negative formulation of the golden rule the tendency of Judaism toward justice in contradistinction to its positive statement by Jesus (Matthew 7:12 and in briefer form in Luke 6:31), typical of the Christian emphasis on love. The contrast drawn between Jewish and Christian ethics on the basis of the different formulations of the golden rule ignores the fact that both versions derive from the command of (this verse), "Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself." W.A. Spooner, art., "Golden Rule, " H.E.R.E. VI;310-312. G.B. King, the Golden Rule, Journ. Rel. VIII, 168-79. Furthermore, both forms appear indiscriminately in the literature of the Synagogue and the Church.

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