The One and Only
You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:18
Neighbor – Only one time in the entire Old Testament. That’s right, the command to love your neighbor as yourself occurs only once, in this verse. Don’t you find that rather amazing, especially since Yeshua considered it the second greatest commandment? How can this be the second most important instruction from God if it is only mentioned one time? The answer shows us something quite important about the worldview of the Hebrews and about Jesus’ view of Scripture.
We must start with an investigation of the Hebrew word rea’. The first thing we discover is that neighbor is typically defined as a member of the tribe, one of your own group. In the Hebrew world, a neighbor is precisely what we first encounter in the real world – the one who lives next door. A neighbor is close at hand. In the Semitic world of tribes, a neighbor would always be someone near by. All of the holiness code first applies to those in close proximity. If you don’t treat those in your own community according to God’s instructions, do you really think God balances the scale with your actions of benevolence toward those far off? God’s view of active love begins on the street where you live, in the congregation where you worship and in the place where you work. A neighbor is someone with whom you have daily contact.
There is something else about the idea of neighbor that is crucial. Rea’ never describes someone who is required to obey the law. Rea’ is never the subject of an action. Rea’ is always someone who is to be treated according to the law – the object of our action. Did you get this? The qualification of being a neighbor is simply being in close contact. I am not allowed to define neighbor as someone who is just like me. I don’t get the option of deciding that my neighbor must also be righteous, a believer, a fellow traveler or a morally upright person. Neighbor is a spatial term, not a spiritual term. The obligation of the holiness code falls on me, the one who is to act with benevolence toward my neighbor. It does not fall on the neighbor. That is the whole point of the parable of the Good Samaritan. The only qualification for being a neighbor is proximity. All other stipulations of exclusion are forbidden.
So, who is close at hand to you? Who lives next door? Who shares your office? Who do you see at the PTA or the tennis club or the church? That person is your neighbor – and you are obligated to treat them as God instructs no matter how they act.
Oh, yes, there is one other very interesting thing about rea’ (which we will have to examine in more detail). The Semitic language cognates of this word also mean “to be yoked” and “to be married.” So, your closest neighbor just might be sharing your bed. Do you treat your spouse according to God’s instructions no matter how he or she behaves?
Topical Index: neighbor, rea’, marriage, proximity. Leviticus 19:18
