As it so happens, I am in the midst of teaching a fascinating course on many fundamental concepts of life in general, and Judaism in particular. This past week we were discussing how G-d is all-knowing and all good. And at the same time, He is infinite. Therefore, all that happens in the world is an outgrowth from Him. He willed it and therefore it is.
Not to get into the nuances of this premise (as the intention of this column is to keep it short and simple, not a long essay), we are left with the question: If G-d is infinite, how can He relate to us?
Let me explain the question. For me to have empathy for another human being, I must be able to relate to that person first. If I cannot find some common ground between us, then how can I care for that individual? For example, if I consider another person as a “slave” and therefore a “lower class” person, then it might be “natural” to mistreat that person (as the Germans did to the Jews by calling us dogs first. Once they categorized us as inhuman it become easier for them to mistreat us).
So if G-d is so great, how can He have “emotions” such as love and sadness to care how we are feeling?
The answer is that G-d “behaves” in a caring way regardless of whether or not He has caring emotions. For us, it makes less difference about “how I feel” and more difference about “how I behave.” It is our actions that count. When G-d behaves a certain way, His actions also know no bounds (as He is infinite).
This same role applies to us. We to have to fake it until we make it. We might not always love someone to the fullest, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t treat them with love and respect. When we behave the right way, the rest will follow.
This is why in this week’s Torah portion G-d tells us that we must treat even our indentured servants – Jewish or non-Jewish – with the utmost respect! You might say that you don’t love them, but start treating them well and then you will come to love them—because each one is a person who deserves to be loved, just like you.
So here we see that this idea of “behavior therapy” started a very long time ago.
Shabbat shalom.