The Greater Torah Principle
Rabbi Akiva who among all the Mishnaic sages is considered the Moses of the Torah’s Oral Tradition, states that the Torah’s great principle is “Love your fellow as you love yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). However, in the Sifra, the Tannaic midrash on the Book of Leviticus, it is mentioned that Ben Azai, one of the three sages that entered the Pardes together with Rabbi Akiva, stated that the verse, “This is the book of the generations of man” is an even greater Torah principle than Rabbi Akiva’s choice of “Love your fellow as you love yourself.”
This verse, “This is the book of the generations of man,” begins the third account of creation.
Most have not heard about this dispute between Rabbi Akiva and Ben Azai regarding which verse is a greater principle of Torah. Certainly, there are deep things to be learnt here. In fact, this might be the most important dispute in Torah since it discusses which principle is the most generalized principle of the entire Torah.
The first thing to note is that Ben Azai’s verse and the Torah’s third account of creation are centered around a historical perspective on creation. He is essentially stating that the historical perspective and our ability to recognize Moses in the Torah is greater than loving our fellow Jew. To love one’s fellow is a very important and central commandment, but apparently to know the order of the generations of mankind is a greater principle.
Connecting All Generations Versus Connecting a Single Generation
Let us focus on the explanation offered by the Sefat Emet who makes the following distinction between the two verses. Loving your fellow Jew is instrumental in connecting all the souls in your present generation together. But the verse, “This is the book of the generations of man,” expands the scope to connecting all the souls throughout all the generations of mankind. The reason that it is a greater principle than just loving your fellow is because it reflects the desire to affect the entire world.
This is particularly descriptive of our present situation in the Land of Israel. To become part of history you need to affect history. A tzaddik can look at each individual soul and see it as part of the ongoing chain of generations of the Jewish people. It sees each soul in its historical context; what role it plays in the ongoing story of Creation, without limiting it to its present contribution alone. A tzaddik sees each soul’s role with reference to both the past and the future.
Seeing a Soul’s Future
In the Chabad tradition, there is a famous story that demonstrates this very distinction. One Sukkot holiday, when the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi was visiting Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl, they sat together in the latter’s sukkah. The Chernobyler Rebbe asked his guest: Why is it that after the Maggid of Mezritch’s passing—he was the Ba’al Shem Tov’s successor, and their common teacher—you chose Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk as your rebbe and not myself, since I was the Maggid’s most senior disciple?
The Alter Rebbe replied that when a Jew came to see the Vitebsker, he would immediately see with his clear spiritual vision, all that this person had experienced and all he had done in this lifetime. The Chernobyler heard the answer but simply said, “Nu?” suggesting that he too could see all that a person had done during his lifetime.
The Alter Rebbe continued, “the Vitebsker could also see all that had happened to a soul during all its incarnations in this world, from Adam to the present moment.” The elder rebbe grunted once again, “Nu?” again suggesting that he too could see the past lifetimes of every soul.
Finally, the Alter Rebbe added, “And Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk could also see all that would happen to a soul in the future, from the present moment until the coming of Mashiach, and even later, all the way to the Resurrection of the Dead.” When he heard this the Chernobyler Rebbe was impressed and felt that this was a true novelty.
This story beautifully demonstrates what the Sefat Emet meant in distinguishing between the two verses that are great principles. Loving your fellow is akin to connecting with your fellow’s present lifetime. But knowing the book of the generations of man is knowing a person through and through, including their past and future lives, seeing how their soul fits into the span of all generations.
(from a class given on 26 Tishrei, 5775)
