My post, “Halacha He: Esav Sonei L’Yaakov” generated the following comment:
“Yesh stirah; you say it's wrong for teenagers in Yeshiva to claim that "Esav sonei l'Yaakov", but it's ok in this case to say it about all of "Europe" (as if that were one united political entity) and all European citizens hold the same viewpoint?”
There a few other comments along these lines and I see it is time for a little lesson on how Esav Sonei L’Yaakov (Rashi on Breishis 33:4) should be understood and practiced.
There is a major difference between making a judgment based on history and current events… and one based on unfair bias. History has proven Europe to be an Esav. And European reactions to Israeli actions re-inforce the well deserved title as an Esav as a rule. (There are of course exceptions.) Not so Americans. Americans have earned the right to not automatically be considered an Esav. Yet for many Bochrim (and many adults I'm afraid) there is no distinction. This is wrong and against Halacha.
Rav Aaron Soloveichik explains exactly what our attitude should be. It is in the chapter entitled, “Jew and Jew, Jew and Non-Jew” in his book “Logic of the Heart, Logic of the Mind”.
The concept of Arevus as mentioned in Meseches Shavuos (39A) is a fundamental tenet of Judaism. There is a fundamental obligation for Jews to maintain morality, humanity, and decency within the Jewish community. But this obligation does not only extend to Jews. It extends to all of humanity. Arevus, on the other hand is something which applies only between Jews. It does not extend to non-Jews. It goes beyond the concepts of morality, decency and humanity. Arevus includes the Mitzvah of Tochacha, reproof, which is based on Ahavas Yisroel.
We are also commanded in Ahavas HaBriyos, the love of mankind. This is different than Ahavas Yisroel which is a more inclusive Mitzvah. Ahavas HaBriyos, is based on the idea that man was created in the image of God. We Jews are commanded in the concept of brotherly love. Arevus entails more however. It entails VeAhavata L’Rei’echa Komocha: loving your fellow Jew as yourself.
What does this mean? It means that Jews are required to love one another blindly. It is an emotional love. It springs from the heart.
Non-Jews however are to be loved intellectually. Ahavas HaBriyos is a mandate to love one’s fellow man because all of mankind is endowed by their Creator with the attributes of Kavod, dignity… and Hadar, majesty. It is a love that springs from the mind.
Love of the heart is a somewhat irrational approach. It is the kind of love one might see a parent have for a rebellious child. While grieved that a child rebels, a parent does not diminish his love for the child. He still loves him while reproving him This is the kind of love one that is required between fellow Jews. But it is not granted to non-Jews. Their loved is derived from the logic of the mind.
The concept of Esav Sonei L’Yaakov has been demonstrated time and again throughout hsitory. It is illogical that the descendants of Esav should be so hateful of the descendants of Yaakov. But so it has been. Rabbi Soloveichik points out that even the saintliest among them have shown an internal feeling hatred against he Jews. One of the Chasidei Umos HaOlam, Thomas Masaryk who was in part responsible for the Balfour declaration, had once revealed in an interview that he had an irrational hatred of Jews and that those feelings had to always be overcome.
So how is one to reconcile this with the requirement of brotherly love for our fellow human beings, created in the image of God? It is through the logic of the mind. Our love for non-Jews is not automatic. We are not to love them blindly, but to judge them by their actions. When they fullfil the their mandate to bless Yaakov, they in turn will be blessed. And we are then required to love them too. It is commensurate with their behavior. We can see by their actions and deeds who is deserving of our love and who isn’t.
And so I judge the European nations. While they had their heroes over time… like Raul Wallenberg, Oskar Schindler, and Chiune Sugihara… during the holocaust, the overall evidence of their hatred over the millenia is unfortunatelly massive. And as Rabbi Soloveichik pointed out even the best among them had to be overcome this innate hatred.
In the case of Americans their actions have spoken very loudly. And their words very clearly. They have thus earned a presumption of innocence with respect to our obligations to love them. America has earned the appelation given to them by Rav Moshe Feinstein as a Medinah Shel Chesed. The Logic of our minds keeps showing us this. The American people truly are different and deserving of our brotherly love.
