Jewish Theology Hermeneutics

The Boston conference on Election and Jewish identity struggled with the question of the governing hermeneutical principles, in light of which we read our sources, and in light of which we chose between the various options and possibilities that have been articulated in the course of theological reflection, on a given topic. While the question was posed from a specifically Jewish angle, the question is obviously relevant to all who seek to offer a contemporary reading of their tradition that is both faithful to the sources of tradition and addresses urgent common concerns. One particular hermeneutical guideline is of particular relevance. It concerns interreligious relations and our particular moment in history. Does the interreligious situation mandate a particular hermeneutic, requiring us to revisit our theology? Can it guide us in working through the resources of our traditions? If so, does it lead us to privilege certain voices within tradition? In that context, the following rabbinic passage is of great relevance:

Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Lev. 19, 18): R. Akiva said: This is the fundamental principle of the Torah. Ben Azai said: This is the book of the generations of man (Gen. 5:1) transcends the weight of that ( Sifra Kedoshim 45).

For Rabbi Akiva the love of the neighbor is the fundamental principle that accounts for entire Torah and that provides us with the guiding light to navigate the details of Torah and of contemporary reflection. By contrast, Ben Azai, a second century contemporary, prefers Genesis 5,1. The verse reads as follows: "This is the book of the generations of Man, in the day that God created mankind, in the likeness of God He made him." Some interpreters suggest the difference between the two sages is between the subjective basis for caring for the other ("as thyself"), as opposed to grounding the respect for the other in the objective ground of the image of God in which humanity was created. Another way of understanding their controversy is to consider the broader appeal of the image of God. Rabbi Akiva’s love principle could be limited to loving one’s own neighbor, the one to whom one is close, in geographic as well as in spiritual terms. By contrast, Ben Azai grounds the attitude to the other in the universality of the divine image, applicable to all of humanity.

If these are the fundamental principles, how should they guide our contemporary theological inquiry into the status of other religions? Which of the two provides a firmer and/or broader basis for developing contemporary attitudes to the other: the love of the neighbor or the image of God? And in what way can the image of God serve as a way of appreciating, or even validating, other faith traditions? Finally, should the interreligious situation lead us to preferring one of these positions?

Such questions will be explored further as the project of Contemporary Jewish Theology of World Religions advances.