This week’s Torah portion includes the most quoted commandment of the entire bible:
וְאָֽהַבְתָּ֥ לְרֵעֲךָ֖ כָּמ֑וֹךָ
Love your fellow as yourself – Leviticus 19:18
It is a verse so central to Judaism that the great Rabbi Hillel cited it when asked to describe Judaism while standing on one foot. “Love your neighbor as yourself,” he said. “The rest is commentary, now go and learn it.”
Rabbi Hillel had his fair share of disagreements with other rabbis. The phrase “two Jews three opinions” is ubiquitous for a reason. In fact, Rabbi Hillel and Rabbi Shammai disagreed about almost everything. From how to light the menorah to the right time to say a prayer, these two rabbis went head-to-head on matters great and small.
One day, the Talmud teaches, the rabbis were amidst a debate, both claiming to be right. Just then a voice came from the heavens saying “These and these are both the words of the Living God.” In other words, although the rabbis held opposing positions, God declared that they were both right. There was wisdom to be gleaned from both perspectives. If one was dismissed outright, the world would be poorer for it.
Rabbis Hillel and Shammai were both great scholars whose insights inspired generations of Jews throughout the ages. They were both right and yet while Jewish communities around the world study both perspectives, most follow the opinion of Rabbi Hillel. You might ask why this would be if both of these scholars were right? The answer, our Talmud teaches, was not in the opinions Rabbi Hillel had but rather how he presented them.
The Talmud teaches that when Shammai presented an argument, he made his case. When Hillel presented an argument, he first explained the opinion of Shammai with reverence and respect, and only then did he offer his own. He did not demonize, insult, intimidate, or devalue his opponent, even during the most heated debate. Instead, he treated Shammai with kindness, displaying how to “love [our] fellow as [ourselves]” even when we disagree.
Our Jewish community, much like the larger Chapman community, is diverse. Let us continue to have difficult conversations when we feel comfortable doing so. They can expand our minds and hearts and help us to further develop our thinking. But as we do so, may we always aspire to engage as Hillel did long ago, with reverence and respect.
Rabbi Cassi Kail 