“'Love your neighbour as yourself’: Rabbi Akiva said this is the fundamental principle of the Torah” (Rashi Vayikra 19:18). Yet as fundamental as this principle is it is more aspirational than practical.
Our commentaries note that such a demand is not only unrealistic but impossible. Adam karov etzel atzmo, a person is close to themselves; man loves himself too much to be able to have those same feelings towards others. They thus understood this verse to mean that that which we desire for ourselves we should desire for others. It is why Hillel phrased it the negative, “that which is hateful to you do not do to others” (Shabbat 31a). Even Rabbi Akiva rules that “your [own] life takes precedence” (Bava Metzia 62a) and hence one need not (and often may not) risk one’s own life to save another.
There is however another mitzva which obligates one to give up their life. “The entire house of Israel are commanded regarding the sanctification of G-d’s great name, as it states (Vayikra 22:32) ‘And I shall be sanctified amidst the children of Israel’. We are also warned against desecrating [His holy name], as it states: ‘And they shall not desecrate My holy name’.” (Rambam, Foundations of the Torah 5:1) [1].
“Keitzad”, how does one fulfil this mitzva in practice, the Rambam asks. He explains that in order to sanctify the Name one must give up one’s life rather than transgress the three cardinal sins of murder, adultery and idolatry.
However, before talking about giving up one’s life the Rambam explains that the primary way we fulfil this mitvza is very different. “Should a gentile arise and force a Jew to violate one of the Torah's commandments at the pain of death, he should violate the commandment rather than be killed”.
We sanctify G-d’s name by affirming Jewish life in the face of persecution. We refuse to die and while we must violate the law now we will observe the law when we can and do what needs to be done so Judaism can thrive. Only in rare circumstances must we affirm that there are principles worth dying for.
Knowing the difference between when to live and when to die is crucial. The Rambam is very clear that one who gives up one’s life rather than say eat a cheeseburger, is mitchayev bnafsho, is guilty of suicide[2].
Yet the mitzva of kiddush Hashem (thankfully) has a much broader scope than knowing when to sacrifice one’s life. We can sanctify or, G-d forbid, desecrate G-d’s name in our day to day life in so many ways. For better or worse how we act determines how others think of Judaism. The greater the person the greater the opportunity to both sanctify and desecrate G-d’s name.
When a Jew who keeps kosher cheats someone the impact is much greater than when the perpetrator makes no claims to be an observant Jew. Hence the first generation Amora (Sage of the Gemara) Rav, the one most responsible for establishing Torah in Bavel, noted that for him to ask for credit in a place where credit is not usually granted would constitute a chilul Hashem. People will say, look at those rabbis, thinking they can get away without paying (Yoma 86a). Whether such be true or not is almost irrelevant. Perception matters.
I can think of no better example of kiddush and chilul Hashem than the concluding example of the Talmudic discussion.
“One who reads Torah, learns Mishna, and serves Torah scholars, and his business practices are conducted faithfully, and he speaks pleasantly with other people, what do people say about such a person? Fortunate is his father who taught him Torah, fortunate is his teacher who taught him Torah, woe to the people who have not studied Torah. So-and-so, who was taught Torah, see how pleasant are his ways, how proper are his deeds.
But one who reads Torah, learns Mishna, and serves Torah scholars, but his business practices are not done faithfully, and he does not speak pleasantly with other people, what do people say about him? Woe to so-and-so who studied Torah, woe to his father who taught him Torah, woe to his teacher who taught him Torah. So-and-so who studied Torah, see how destructive are his deeds, and how ugly are his ways” (Yoma 86a).
The Torah in parshat Emor describes the mumim, those defects that disqualify one from working in the Temple. Amongst those defects is a saruah (Vayikra 21:18) which Rashi explains as “one of whose limbs is [much] larger than the other, one eye is big and one eye is small”.
One must have a balanced approach to life. One who “sees” some things clearly but others not at all is at risk of extremism. While we all excel at some areas and are weaker in others if the gap gets too large that a “defect” that must be remedied. This is true in all realms of life. But some defects are worse than others.
One who excels in the ethical realm but is non-observant of Jewish rituals may not be living up to the ideal standards of Judaism. But such is private matter between him/her and G-d. But one who is meticulously observant in the ritual realm but deficient ethically is the cause of a great chilul Hashem. They have brought G-d and the Jewish people into great disrepute. This is no private matter and they must be helped to improve their interpersonal relations or told they may not keep the rituals of Judaism. Better to cheat and eat pork than to cheat and insist on kosher food.
There is a reason Yishayahu relays the heavenly message that “Your new moons and fixed seasons fill Me with loathing; They are become a burden to Me, I cannot endure them. And when you lift up your hands. I will turn My eyes away from you; Though you pray at length, I will not listen. Your hands are stained with crime (Yishayahu 1:14-15).
The Jews people are tasked with sanctifying G-d’s name, of demonstrating the meaning of a life lived according to G-d’s will. When Avraham first arrived in the Land of Israel he called out in the name of G-d. We are the children of Abraham.
[1] Fascinatingly, these laws are the very first laws the Rambam talks about in the Mishne Torah, his monumental code of Jewish law. Though it actually begins chapter five (out of 1,000!) of the code the Rambam spends the first four chapters discussing metaphysics.
[2] Expressing a diametrically opposing view both halachically and theologically the Tosafists (Avodah Zara 27b s.v. yachol) argue that it is an act of extra piety to give up one’s life rather than transgress any law of the Torah. We are allowed, but not at all obligated, to violate the law to save our lives.
