Page 31 - HaMizrachi Tisha B'Av AUS 2021

TISHA B’AV READING

Rabbi Ari Kahn

Rebuilding

with Love

ust as the Beit HaMikdash was As far as “baseless love,” we are taught to This dual perspective is discernible in
destroyed due to baseless love others even though they are unde- Parashat Devarim. Moshe, recalling the epi-
hatred, it will be rebuilt due to serving. But is this the case? Are we not sode of the spies, recounts: “You grumbled
“Jbaseless love” (Orot HaKodesh commanded to love our neighbor as our- in your tents, and said, ‘G-d brought us out
vol. 3, p. 324). While this oft-cited teach- selves? Our love for others is not “free” or of the land of Egypt because He hated us…’”
ing of Rav Kook sounds simple, it is in fact baseless; it is grounded in the knowledge (Devarim 1:27).
highly nuanced, and deserves more serious
consideration. that every person is created in the image of Rashi observes what should be obvious to
G-d, and every Jew is a unique part of our us: quite the opposite was the case. “He
The image that comes to mind when we collective, a beautiful piece in the mosaic loved you, but you hated Him…”
hear the words sinat chinam is usually one of our peoplehood.
of rampant, wanton violence. The word Here we have the core of sinat chinam –
chinam is more accurately translated as baseless hatred. Lonely, frightened man,
“free of charge” or “at no cost” in a mon- controlled by his own insecurity, is unable
etary sense. Rather than hatred for no to feel G-d’s love. In a knee-jerk reaction, he
reason whatsoever, it implies hatred for lashes out, with hatred that is both base-
which the price is somehow incongruous By what right do we imagine that less and unearned, projecting this hatred
or out of balance. The problem is not that the love and support we should back onto G-d.
we dislike people for no reason; generally, be giving is unwarranted or free? Humankind is a strange species, capable of
we all feel we have very good reasons to love yet afraid to love. We fail to consider
dislike the people we do. We may have been the true nature of love as our greatest nat-
hurt, insulted, or, worst of all, ignored, and By what right do we imagine that the love ural resource, which grows exponentially
we develop a healthy animus toward the and support we should be giving is unwar- the more it is ‘used.’ Why are we so stingy
offender as we defend ourselves and our ranted or free? This other person is my in sharing it with others?
tattered egos. The problem is that more brother, sister or cousin too-many-times
often than not, our response is not pro- removed. I am obligated by Jewish law to
portional. We ‘overcharge’ for these real love and care for him, to worry about her
or perceived wrongs. The price is not right. and constantly consider how I can improve
We pay back with interest, and, as we all her life, to pray for each and every other
know, the Torah prohibits usury.
Jew. They are me, and we are one.
If we were to be honest with ourselves, we
would be forced to recognize that at times And therein lies the rub. We have some-
our own insecurity and emotional fragility how learned to convince ourselves that
lead us to interpret the behavior or speech the hatred we feel is well-deserved,
of others as malicious, even when no such while the love we are obligated to
malice was intended. feel and express is unearned and
given to the undeserving.
Here then is the dilemma: regarding the
admonishment against baseless hatred, Judaism teaches us to see our world
most of us can, with absolute honesty, from G-d’s perspective as well as
categorically state we are innocent. On our own. While we justify our
the other hand, when we reframe the hatred of others by focusing on
question and ask instead if we have ever the wrongs they have committed,
overreacted, if we are guilty of exaggerated from G-d’s higher vantage point, our hatred
responses to real or perceived slights, I am Rabbi Ari Kahn is Director of the Over-
afraid many of us can answer in the affir- for others is sinat chinam – unearned, dis- seas Student Program at Bar Ilan Uni-
mative. We are quite guilty but blind to proportionate, high-interest payback. versity, where he is a senior lecturer in
our own malevolence, simply because we While we consider our acts of kindness or Jewish Studies.
think the other person has earned every gestures of love free and unearned, we are,
bit of it. Whatever hatred we have for them in fact, fulfilling a very specific obligation A member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau
is not “free.” to love and care for them. mizrachi.org/speakers

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