Q&A: Israel and the Nations
Israel and the Nations
Question
Hello Rabbi,
A. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 76b) presents returning a lost item to a Cuthean as something negative. Rashi explains: “One who returns a lost item to a Cuthean equates and associates a Cuthean with a Jew, and shows about himself that returning a lost item is not important to him as a commandment of his Creator, since he does the same even for a Cuthean, concerning whom he was not commanded.”
The question, of course, is why? Is acting without a commandment from the Torah, and simply out of morality, problematic? After all, Saadia Gaon gave important meaning to human morality… And also according to the Rabbi’s view, regarding human and divine morality as two systems of values, etc.—how does this fit?
B. Regarding passages in the prayer where we pray only for the Jewish people, why not for all the nations? For example, “He who makes peace for us and for all His people Israel,” or the blessing for the righteous—and there is no shortage of examples.
Answer
A. I think this stems from the way the gentiles of that time conducted themselves, which was morally and humanly degraded, and therefore we are expected to distance ourselves from them and not give them normal human regard. Similar to how Maimonides sees lending with interest to a gentile as an obligation (and not merely a permission). Nowadays, of course, the situation is different.
B. You can certainly pray for the whole world. The fixed obligatory prayer is for the Jewish people because that is our primary circle of concern, like a family that I care about more. Beyond that, the Jewish people were also persecuted throughout the generations, so there is reason to pray for them.