Love Thy Neighbour As Thyself

Abstract

In this expanded text of his 2005 Gifford Lectures, the well‐known philosopher Lenn Goodman details how the Torah and the rabbinic Sages flesh out the demands of the Bible's core ethical imperative: Love thy neighbor as thyself. The philosophy of monotheism and the ethics of charity, justice, and love, Goodman argues, go hand in hand, informing, enlarging, and enlightening one another: The idea of God's goodness infuses every practical and intellectual facet of the Judaic moral ideal. Our ethical commitments are deepened, broadened, and intensified by our understanding of God's love; our knowledge and love of God are enriched and given effect by our moral character and ethical practices.In a special “Q&A” section, Goodman continues the dialogue begun in Glasgow, addressing questions that arose in the lectures as to the place of the mitzvot or commandments in Judaism and comparing Christian, Muslim, and secular perspectives on divine commands and human obligations.

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