Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph

The sage Hillel had a saying, recorded for posterity in Pirke Avot, the Ethics of the Fathers:

Be like the disciples of Aaron, love peace and pursue peace, love people (habriut) and bring them close to the Torah.

In his commentary on Pirke Avot, Avigdor Shinar, Professor emeritus at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, asks which “people” the above teaching is referring to. Does it refer to just Jewish people? Should Jewish people just love other Jewish people? Or should Jews love all people? Professor Shinar believes it refers to all people. To support this, he reminds us of the famous story of the non-Jewish man who came to Shammai, Hillel’s contemporary and rival, asking to be converted to Judaism on the condition that he be taught the Torah while standing on one foot. Shammai drove him off angrily. He came to Hillel with the same request. Hillel accepted him as a convert, teaching him, “Whatever is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow man; this is the main principle of the Torah. All else is commentary. Now, go and learn.” Hillel’s love and acceptance extended to all people, even challenging personalities. He considered himself a “disciple of Aaron”.

Did you ever have a “favorite teacher”? Chances are you felt that teacher valued you as a human being, not just as a student. We learn best from teachers that we feel a connection with. Teachers who we feel like us, even love us. We want to learn from such teachers. It is said that Aaron loved people first and foremost, without any ulterior motive. He did not love them in order to bring them closer to the Torah. It was his love of people that made them want to learn from him. Because he valued each and every human being, because people admired him, they wanted to be more like him. That is how he brought them close to the Torah.

Many a person comes to Judaism because they have gotten to know Jewish friends or family members and recognize, through them, the beauty and power of our tradition. We all can be like the disciples of Aaron, extending our love and acceptance to all human beings with no expectations. Some may just be curious enough to want to learn more about our Torah.

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