An Explanation of Leviticus (1)
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, Philippians 2:3-5 NASB
Do nothing – Is it a command, an opinion, or a description? Is Paul telling the Philippians that this is binding halacha or is he giving friendly advice? Is he using the imperative or is he simply describing what true community looks like? And what about us? Is this (whatever he is actually saying) for us as well as the Philippians?
Let’s start by noticing that the imperative “do” has been added to the text. The Greek is meden kat’ epithean (“nothing from selfish ambition”). The imperative verb might be implied but it isn’t actually in the text. Paul may be simply describing the character of those who have the mind of the Messiah rather than delivering halacha. The result is pretty much the same, however. Clearly this is a characteristic we must demonstrate no matter how it happens to be developed. Paul’s statement is forceful. meden is the English equivalent of “not even one.” There is not a single case where selfish ambition is justified. Paul couldn’t be clearer.
Except, of course, when we try to apply this. Then all kinds of subtle rationalizations and justifications enter the picture. What happens when the yetzer ha’ra confronts meden? meden is death to the yetzer ha’ra and when something is threatened with extinction, it fights back. Under the banner of self-protection, we convert selfishness into necessity. We become victims of our personal emotional theology. We have “needs,” emotional vacuums that suck up the world around us, converting it into a servant of our desires. Luzzatto’s insight here is telling. A need can be satisfied. It allows fulfillment. When I am hungry, I eat and the need for food is satisfied. The hunger goes away. But a desire is insatiable. No matter how much I feed it, it begs for more. It is never ultimately satisfied and as a result, it never goes away. Needs have ends. Desires do not.
List your needs. You will find that everything on the list is temporally conditioned. It is a need now, but in a few hours, days, or weeks, that need will be satisfied, and a new one will take its place. Thirsty? Drink! The need is satisfied. Impoverished? Work! Money in the pocket fulfills the need. Lonely? Feeling a need for companionship? Visit your neighbor, call a friend! The need disappears.
But desire? When does desire evaporate? Power? When is the desire for power finished, satisfied? Wealth? How much does a millionaire “need”? Status, prestige, recognition? Pleasure? How much sexual stimulation is enough? Where is the end of happiness? What is the limit of importance? When do the dreams of a world tailor-made for you stop?
Doing nothing from selfishness is not so easy, is it? Perhaps the first step is to recognize the crucial difference between “needs” and “desires.” Of course, the yetzer ha’ra is particularly adept at converting desires into needs, so the process of distinguishing the difference is often quite foggy. That’s why we must rely on the voice from outside. YHVH provides such a voice, a voice uncorrupted by our emotional context. It’s a process, isn’t it? We progress from one confrontation with our subtle manipulations to another. Some we see. Some we can deal with. Some take a long, long time. But God is good—and patient. It is direction, not destination.
Except—meden kat’epithean. Not a single thing.
“Love you neighbor as yourself” does not begin with loving yourself. It begins with apply what you would have done for yourself to your neighbor, not with applying first to yourself and then extracting something for the neighbor.
Paul may be exhorting his readers to read Leviticus in depth but he is certainly describing the attributes of a citizen of God’s kingdom. The real question is for us: Are we exhibiting meden kat’epithean? Are we real citizens?
Topical Index: meden, nothing, selfishness, Philippians 2:3-5
