Bits of Torah Truths – The Golden Rule is a Midrash on the Torah – Episode 12
The Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, contains several verses that express this idea of the Golden Rule.
- “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your kinsfolk. Love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:18)
- “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 22:21)
- “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I the LORD am your God.” (Leviticus 19:34)
Some Jewish sages and scholars have interpreted the golden rule as a commentary on the Torah, meaning that it summarizes the essence of the Torah’s ethical teachings. For example, Rabbi Akiva said that “Love your neighbor as yourself” is “the great principle of the Torah.” Similarly, Hillel the Elder said that “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.”
