Do not deal basely with your countrymen. Do not profit by the blood of your fellow: I am the Lord. Vayikra/Leviticus 19:16
This verse is enigmatic as the Hebrew phrase “Lo telekh rakhil” is an idiom that can be translated as Rashi understands the idiom to mean, “You shall not go up and down as a talebearer among your people.” In other words, it is a prohibition against gossip. Alternately, the Sifra—the halakhic midrash to Leviticus—translates the phrase as, “Do not act as a merchant toward your own kinsmen,” interpreting the injunction as a prohibition against conducting one’s personal relationships as if they were business transactions.
Martin Buber, the eminent 20th century Jewish thinker and philosopher, defined three basic categories of relationship which are a useful prism for better appreciating our verse.
The most basic relationship is I-It wherein the individual’ (the I) underlying concern is what can be gained from the other person/thing (the It). An I-It relationship is strictly utilitarian and transactional. The other (the It) is viewed primarily as a thing regardless of how cordial or friendly interactions may be. Thus, vendors are purveyors of necessary commodities, customers those who can provide money; workers those who can provide a service to those in need of same.
Buber would affirm that I-It relationships are a normal part of life but that one should always strive for the next level of relationship which he calls I-Thou. An I-Thou relationship is based on mutual respect and a recognition of the other as being intrinsically valuable. An I-Thou relationship is a genuine and authentic connection between two individuals, wherein each is recognized as a whole person, rather than an object, and with a focus on the “between” – the space in which the relationship unfolds.
The third relationship Buber defines is the I-Eternal Thou relationship between the individual and God. This paradigm informs our understanding of the concept of kedushah as embodied in our parashah and the Book of Vayikra/Leviticus. Kedushah reflects the Torah’s concern “not only with behavior but also with character; not just with what we do but also the kind of person we become”. (1)
Through aspiring to kedusha in our lives, we not only avoid harming others, but we also develop within ourselves the virtues of empathy, humility, and graciousness.
Our teacher of Torah, Rabbi Danny Siegel wrote, in the preface to his book And God Braided Eve’s Hair:
If you always assume /
the man sitting next to you /
is the Messiah /
waiting for some simple human kindness— /
You will soon come to weigh your words /
and watch your hands. /
And if he so chooses /
not to reveal himself /
in your time— /
it will not matter.
Shabbat Shalom –
Rabbi David M. Eligberg
1) Covenant and Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible—Leviticus: The Book of Holiness, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.
Copyright © 2025 Rodef Sholom Temple. All rights reserved. Website designed by Addicott Web.
