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The other day in this programme I talked about an ancient Jewish teacher ’called Hillel and quoted him as saying: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" The last part means:
Let us not merely acknowledge bur duties
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and excuse ourselves from carrying them out i3 nractice on the gyound that, just at present, we are too busy. The right time to fulfil our obligations is not to—morrow, but to—day. The second part is also clear.
The man who cares only for himself is less
than human, for it is the hallmark of our humanity that we are able to care (for our fellow-men and to labour for causes transcending our own self—interest. And when men fail to show this quality, the result is loneliness, misery, in~ justice and strife.
Nine—tenths of the troubles of the world are due to plain, Therefore to learn to love his neighbour as himself is
common selfishness. man's most obvious need.
But what about the first part of Hillel's saying, "If I am not for myself, who will be for me?" Does it not, after all, commend selfishness? Surely the highest ideal — the ultimate in saintliness — is that a So far, so good.
man should forget himself altogether and live entirely for others! we are accustomed to think. But it wasn't Hillel's View.
So, perhaps,
According to him and the tradition which he represents, the good life is not necessarily the life of self—denial, though it involves self— denial. The good life is the life lived in obedience to God‘s will, and God's will is not only that we should look after our fellow—men, but also that we should look after ourselves. For example, we have a duty to take care of our health, bodily and spiritual, by avoiding anything that would injure us, by taking rest and exercise,
by exposing ourselves to enhancing influences, and by practices such as prayer; for we need to be fit in order to be able to fulfil all our obligations. We also have a duty to enjoy life.
“You shall rejoice before the Lord
your God“, says the book of Deuteronomy. Of course, there are limits. We may not seek our own pleasure to the detriment of others. But within these limits we not only may but should enjoy the good things - food and drink, sunshine and laughter, love and friendship - which God, in his goodness, has made avail— able to us. To refuse them—would‘be\ungrateful. According to the ancient Rabbis, man will have to account on the Day of Judgment for any legitimate pleasures which he deliberately and unnecessarily denied himself.
God wants
man to be happy, provided always that he cares as much for the happiness of
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others as for his own.
Above all, we have a duty to maintain our self—reapect. Of course we have many failings and we do many ugly things for which we should not forgive ourselves too lightly. But we should not therefore despise ourselves completely. For there is also in us the Image of God, a spark of divinity, an almost limit— less capacity for goodness, which we should respect and nurture. If we despise ourselves, we despise the divinity in us. To love your neighbour as yourself does not mean that you must hate your— self, or even that you must love your meighbour £932 than yourself. It means
that you must love him as much as yourself. The good life, according to Judaism, is not a life of self—negatiofi. It is a mode of conduct appropriate to a society in which no man is a means to an end, in which the rights of all
must be respected, and the needs of all satisfied, because all are equal in the sight of God.
Talk given by Rabbi John D. Rayner on B-B.C. Radio 2 in the "Five to Eight" Programme onr‘riday, 16th July, 1971
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other day in this prbgramme I talked ‘
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an ancient Jewish ‘
teacher called Hillel and quoted fin-whim this saying: f'If I am not 'for mself,‘ who will bé for me?’ But: if I ain onILy for myself, what; am.
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The right {time to fulfil our obligations is not tomorrow but today. The second part is also clear-5v The man who cares only for himself 1:; less than human; ferrit 1a the hallmark of our humanity that; we are V
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to care for our fellow—men tend to labour for
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and drink, sunshine land laugfitexg. love and friendahu? - which
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To love your 'neigbbom.‘ as yourself does not mean that you mist: hate
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love your neighbour 3023 than youréelf. means that yep must love him as finch as yourself. The good life.
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