Monday, July 08, 2019

ואהבת לרעך כמוך - The Remarkable Explanation of the Sefer HaBris





The Sefer HaBris maintains that ואהבת לרעך כמוך is universal principle pertaining to almost all of mankind. This shiur learns his words "inside."

The text for the shiur may be found at

https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/ספר_הברית_(הורוביץ)#פרק_א

or

http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=43436&st=&pgnum=340&hilite=

Who was the author and what is the Sefer HaBris?

See
http://www.5tjt.com/sefer-habrit/:

People Of The Book: Classic Works Of The Jewish Tradition

By Dr. Henry Abramson

Two hundred years ago, Sefer HaBrit was a fixture in the library of every educated Jewish home. First published anonymously in 1797, this hugely popular 800-page tome appeared in 40 editions, including translations into Ladino and Yiddish. It was widely read by Ashkenazim and Sephardim, western and eastern European Jews, chassidim, mitnagdim, and maskilim with equal enthusiasm.

(see the link for the rest of the article)

10 comments:

  1. Perhaps you pointed it out, but the beautiful piece would seen to run afoul of "reacha" implying reacha.b'mitzvos - to the exclusion of a goy. The is however Rabbeinu Bachya who says by "lo saaneh b'reiacha that it includes goyim.

    לא תענה ברעך. לא אמר באחיך כמשפט הכתובים (דברים כ״ג:כ׳) לא תשיך לאחיך, (שם כב) לכל אבדת אחיך, וכיוצא בזה, כי שם אנו דורשים אחיך ולא עכו"ם וכאן הזהיר אפילו על העכו"ם כי כן מצינו (שמות י״א:ב׳) וישאלו איש מאת רעהו והוא נאמר על המצריים
    I once showed it to Rav Kulefsky who went to the back of his apartment and brought out a 300 year old R Bachya, certain that there must be a typo, as he cannot say that reacha includes goyim. Not finding a different girsa he went back again and brought out a 400 year old copy kept in a bag - the binding was gone. Same thing. He was very surprised. Rav Chavel does discuss it. Hope I'm not budding into your chabura but the issue is interesting and the way he describes/defines the purpose of life is beautiful

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    1. That's a precious Rabbeinu Bachye! There must be a Torah Sheleimah on this. From Wikipedia:

      רוב ככל פרשני המקרא והפוסקים החזיקו בפרשנות חז"ל לפיהם מצווה זו מחייבת את האהבה ליהודים בלבד. יחד עם זאת, בספר שערי קדושה כתב מהרח"ו שראוי לאדם החסיד לאהוב את כל הבריות ואפילו גויים[16]. וכן כתב הרב אברהם יצחק הכהן קוק בכמה מקומות[17], גם כפירוש לפסוק.[18] גם בעל ספר הברית פנחס הורוויץ, הרב אליהו בן אמוזג וגם בספר כוס ישועות של נתן פרידלאנד, מצווה זו מפורשת כחלה על כל האנושות. לדוגמה, בפירושו למקרא הרב בן אמוזג כותב: "ממה ששנה וכתב 'ואהבת לרעך כמוך', ולא אמר 'לבני עמך', שמענו שבכלל רעך כל מין האדם..." (אם למקרא, ויקרא יט, יח). גם באחד ממכתבי רבי יוסף משאש נכתב כעין דבריו של הרב בן אמוזג[19].
      שערי קדושה חלק א ה
      לדוגמה: מידות ראיה, ערך "אהבה", אות א.
      מאמרי הראיה, נאום על ישוב ארץ ישראל
      אוצר המכתבים, מכתב תתקצב.

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  2. Rav Hurvitz, sefer habris, takes ahavat reim
    and tikun olam to anot interesting place when he, in perek 19 of ahavas.reim writes, that it would be appropriate to purchase a book or invention that benefits the world and helps others- to give chizuk to the writer or creator to keep up his holy work.

    ומי שהטיב לכל אנשי העולם כגון שהמציא כלי חדש הטוב לעול׳ או ספר טוב ראוי לכל משכיל על דבר אהבת רעים לכל הפחות שיקנה אותו כדי שירויח ויאמץ האיש את לבבו עי״ז להמציא עוד כלים טובים בעולם, וכן שאר כל חכמי לב יתאמצו וישתדלו ג״כ להמציא דברים טובים וכלים נצרכים לתקנת העולם ולהשלמתו.


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  3. My understanding is that achikha means fellow Jew (as per ribis, etc..) and rei'akha means fellow maaminim. Which is broader than what the Sefer haBris seems to say. The ShB would require a non-Jew be bad enough to lose inclusion in "ve'ahavta", whereas what I was taught would require they be observant enough of the 7 mitzvos to earn it.

    There are implications then to what Ben Zoma meant. If R' Aqiva's words include all but evil people, what makes "zeh sefer toledos ha'adam" different, and a superior choice for a kelal gadol?

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    1. I don't see how that's broader than the ShB. Can you elaborate, please?

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    2. I don't know now why I said "broader" instead of narrower. But here's the difference. The ShB says "all but the sinners are rei'ekha". I was taught "believers are rei'ekha". The ShB includes people in between "sinner" and "believer" (minor sinners, people who somewhat believe, or who believe something somewhat close to right). The rebbe with whom I learn this sugya would hold such people are not rei'akha.

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    3. That's what I thought you had meant to say. :-)

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    4. But either way, it cuts both ways... A Jew who is a sinner isn't rei'akha, while still being achikha.

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  4. Remarkable indeed. I'm in no position to criticize Rabbi Hurwitz, but it is contrary to the Sifra who limits this to at most a Ger Toshav:
    https://beisvaad.blogspot.com/2021/01/bo-and-yisro-rabbeinu-bachya-bachai-on.html

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