[Avodah] One Should Love All People, Even Non-Jews

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 12:46:50PM -0400, Prof. Levine wrote:
> "I have attached part of the Sefer Shaarei  Kedusha from R. Chaim Vital, 
> the foremost disciple of the Ari HaKadosh. (I posted this at  
> http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/c_vital_love_gentiles.pdf )
> "I think it is important that you publish this."

The Tiferes Yisrael points out that the mishnah makes a similar statement.
See my blog post (condensed from an Avodah discussion) "Universalism"
<http://www.aishdas.org/asp/2007/04/universalism.shtml>. The part I'm
referring to:

    9- R' Yitzchak Blau on Ki miTzion Teitzei Torah (starting at 25:25)
    ( 25:25) points out that the Tif'eres Yisrael explains three mishnayos
    in Avos in universal terms.

    a- Hillel asks us to try to be mitalmidav shel Aharon (one who
    is from among the students of Aaron), which in part means being
    someone who is "oheiv es haberi'os -- literally: loves the creatures"
    (Avos 1:12). Beri'os is a pretty universal term for humanity, not
    confusable for a limitation to other Jews.

    b- Lest you think this attitude is specific to Hillel, the Tif'eres
    Yisrael also learns this lesson from Shammai's words: "havei meqabeil
    es kol ha'adam beseiver panim yafos -- receive all people with a
    pleasant expression on one's face" (Avos 1:15).

    Is this "ha'adam" universal? The Tif'eres Yisrael cites a Tosafos to
    show that while "adam" sometimes means "everyone in our conversation",
    "ha'adam" is always about all of humanity...

    c- While "adam" may be ambiguous, it's not ambiguous when used
    in contrast to "Yisrael." And so, the Tif'eres Yisrael reads the
    following mishnah:

	[R' Aqiva] used to say, "Beloved is man, for he was created in
	the "Image" [of G-d]. It was an extra [show of] love that it was
	made known to him that he was created in the image of G-d, as
	it is said, 'For in the image of G-d He made man.' (Bereishis 9:6)

	Beloved are Israel, or they were called children of the
	Omnipresent....

So, R' Chaim Vital's point about "vehohav es kol haberi'os" dates back
to Hillel.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             In the days of our sages, man didn't sin unless
micha at aishdas.org        he was overcome with a spirit of foolishness.
http://www.aishdas.org   Today, we don't do a mitzvah unless we receive
Fax: (270) 514-1507      a spirit of purity.      - Rav Yisrael Salanter