Kedoshim: “Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself” – Not the Greatest Principle in Torah

R’ Akiva calls “Ve’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha” a great Torah principle. Ben Azzai disagrees. Wessely attempts to reconcile them with an original interpretation.

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Kedoshim: “Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself” – Not the Greatest Principle in Torah

The most famous verse in Kedoshim is: “Ve’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha – love your fellow as yourself” (Vayikra 19:18). Those who were brought up learning Chumash-with-Rashi™ will likely be familiar with Rashi’s (ibid.) citation of R’ Akiva’s famous statement: “Zeh klal gadol ba’Torah – this is a great principle in Torah.”

But those who only know R’ Akiva’s statement from Rashi may not realize that his view represents only one side of a machlokess (disagreement). The Talmud Yerushalmi (Nedarim 9:3) records the dissenting view of Ben Azzai:

“Ve’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha – Love your fellow as yourself.” R’ Akiva says: “This is a great principle in the Torah.” Ben Azzai says: “‘Zeh sefer toldos Adam – This is the book of the descendants of Adam’ (Bereishis 5:1) — this is an even greater principle.”

At first glance, Ben Azzai’s position is puzzling. How does zeh sefer toldos Adam even qualify as a klal (principle) in the same genre as ve’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha? In context, that verse introduces the genealogy from Adam through Noach. It doesn’t seem like an actionable principle—let alone one greater than the Golden Rule.

The Korban Ha’Eidah (R’ David ben Naphtali Fränkel) offers two explanations of Ben Azzai’s statement:

"This is the book of the descendants of Adam – since all human beings come from a single ancestor, this is an even greater principle than “You shall love your fellow as yourself,” which applies only to your fellow [i.e., fellow Jew]. And some explain [Ben Azzai’s statement] as referring to the end of the verse: “In the likeness of God He made him” – [and therefore], it is proper to be careful with the honor of your fellow human being.

According to both readings, Ben Azzai considers his principle superior to R’ Akiva’s because it applies to all people, not just Jews – either because “descendants of Adam” underscores our common ancestry and universal bond, or because the second half of the verse (“in the likeness of God He made Him”) emphasizes our shared nature.

There is an alternative version of this machlokess in Bereishis Rabbah (24:7) [1] that supports the second reading:

R’ Akiva says: “‘Love your fellow as yourself’ — this is a great principle in the Torah.” The version of the midrash cited here is not the standard published edition; see the commentaries of Eitz Yosef (ibid.) and Torah Shleimah (Bereishis 5:1, Note 1) who convincingly argue that the standard version is corrupt.Ben Azzai says: “‘This is the book of the descendants of Adam’ — this is an even greater principle in the Torah, so that you should not say: ‘Since I was degraded, let my friend be degraded with me; since I was cursed, let my friend be cursed with me.’” R’ Tanchuma said: “If you do this, know whom you are degrading — ‘in the likeness of God He made him.’”

Ben Azzai’s reasoning is clearer here, as the Torah Temimah (Bereishis 5:1 note 2) explains:

R’ Akiva alludes to what is stated in the aggadah in Shabbos 31a, about the [gentile] who came before Hillel and asked him to teach him the entire Torah while standing on one foot. Hillel said to him: “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. This is the entire Torah; the rest is commentary—go and learn it” …

Ben Azzai adds: From R’ Akiva’s statement, we only learn “that which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow,” which implies that someone who doesn’t care about his own honor isn’t obligated to care about the honor of others either. To this Ben Azzai responds: “This is the book of the descendants of Adam … in the likeness of God He made him.” A person should not belittle the dignity of another—not only because “what is hateful to you etc.” but also because he was created in the likeness of God, and one who belittles his dignity is like one who belittles the likeness of the Creator.

In sum, there are at least two practical nafka minahs (halachic or ethical implications) that emerge from this machlokess: R’ Akiva’s principle applies only to Jews, whereas Ben Azzai’s applies to all human beings. In addition, R’ Akiva’s principle might permit mistreatment of a fellow Jew as long as the act “isn’t hateful to you,” while Ben Azzai’s principle prohibits any form of abuse toward any human being, since to do so is to show disrespect to God.

So, what are we to make of this machlokess? What is the underlying disagreement between R’ Akiva and Ben Azzai? How might R’ Akiva respond to Ben Azzai’s critiques? And given that Chazal present Ben Azzai as the more compelling of the two views, what prompted Rashi to cite R’ Akiva’s view in his commentary on Vayikra 19:18, while offering only the vague remark “there are many aggadic midrashim” on Bereishis 5:1?

Instead of offering my own speculations on these questions, I’d like to spotlight a creative interpretation by Naftali Herz Wessely, who maintains that there is no real machlokess. R’ Akiva and Ben Azzai agree in principle, and that principle is expressed in Vayikra 19:18. Wesseley’s commentary begins with a series of questions:

If the intent is as the commentators of Scripture, may their memory be blessed, have explained—that one should love every person as he loves himself—it is very astonishing that we would be commanded regarding something that is beyond the capacity of any soul. It is not possible for a person to love another—especially a stranger to him—as he loves himself. Furthermore, it is not fitting to issue a command regarding love or hatred, for a person has no control over them, as we said (on verse 17). Moreover, if this were the case, then a person would be required to mourn over the suffering of every other person as he mourns over his own suffering, and his life would not be livable—for there is no moment in which one does not see or hear about the suffering of some Jew. And similarly regarding good: one would be obligated to do for another all the good that he does for himself, and this too is a vexation of spirit … Furthermore, the verse states ‘You shall love your fellow’ without qualification—whether righteous or wicked, wise or foolish—and this is deeply perplexing.

After citing and rejecting the explanations of the Ramban and Rashbam, Wesseley offers an original interpretation:

And I say that the word “kamocha” in the Holy Tongue does not mean [“as yourself”], but rather, “kamocha” means “similar to you,” as in “ki kamocha ke’pharoh – for you are similar to Pharaoh” (Bereishis 44:18) – i.e., you are similar to Pharaoh in stature; or “ein navon ve’chacham kamocha – there is none who is wise and understanding similar to you” (ibid. 41:39) – equal to you and similar to you; likewise, “Mi kamocha ba’elim Hashem? – Who is similar to You among the powers, Hashem?” (Shemos 15:11), and all similar examples.

Thus, here the explanation of “ve’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha” is “who is like you,” equal to you and similar to you, in that he too was created b’tzelem Elokim (in the image of God), and he is a human being like you. This includes all people, for all were created b’tzelem. And this is what R’ Akiva meant by: “This is a great principle in the Torah,” for R’ Akiva himself taught this principle in his mishnah: “Beloved is man, for he was created b’tzelem” (Avos 3:14).

And even if a person is now wicked, he was nonetheless created b’tzelem Elokim, endowed with dominion and free will, and he is capable of choosing good. That is why Ben Azzai said that “This is the book of the descendants of Adam” is a greater principle than R’ Akiva’s verse, because in that verse it says, “in the likeness of God He made him.” And Ben Azzai taught in his mishnah: “Do not disparage any person” (Avos 4:3).

According to Wessely, ve’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha should not be translated as “Love your fellow as yourself” but “Love your fellow who is like yourself”—that is, who was “made in the likeness of God.” R’ Akiva and Ben Azzai agree in principle that the basis of our ethics is the tzelem Elokim, as reflected by their teachings in Pirkei Avos.

Their only disagreement is: Which verse expresses this principle more effectively? On the one hand, Vayikra 19:18 is an actual mitzvah and emphasizes that our fellow human being is like us. On the other hand, Bereishis 5:1 explicitly names that shared foundation as “the likeness of God.” This is a much narrower machlokess. [2]

[1] The version of the midrash cited here is not the standard published edition; see the commentaries of Eitz Yosef (ibid.) and Torah Shleimah (Bereishis 5:1, Note 1) who convincingly argue that the standard version is corrupt.

[2] As I mentioned, Wessely has much more to say about this mitzvah. I encourage you to check out his full commentary on Vayikra 19:18.

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Because I really want to know what you think, I’ll repeat the questions I raised: What are we to make of this machlokess? What is the underlying disagreement between R’ Akiva and Ben Azzai? How might R’ Akiva respond to Ben Azzai’s critiques? And given that Chazal present Ben Azzai as the more compelling of the two views, what prompted Rashi to cite R’ Akiva’s view in his commentary on Vayikra 19:18, while offering only the vague remark “there are many aggadic midrashim” on Bereishis 5:1?

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