THE GolDEN RulEand then some...
There is a version of the Golden Rule in every faith tradition along the lines of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” called “the Ethic of Reciprocity.” For example, according to Hinduism: This is the sum of duty: Do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you. According to Islam: None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself. According to Buddhism: Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful. According to Native American Spirituality: Do not wrong or hate your neighbor. For it is not he who you wrong, but yourself. According to Judaism and Christianity: love your neighbor as yourself. (Source: Wikipedia). A story: About 2,000 years ago, a pagan approached a rabbi named Rabbi Shammai and said, “Teach me Torah (i.e. Judaism) while standing on one foot.” Thinking that the pagan was mocking Judaism, he told him to go away. The pagan then approached another rabbi, Rabbi Hillel and said, “Teach me Torah while standing on one foot.” Rabbi Hillel responded, “What is hateful to you, do not do to another person. All the rest is commentary, now go forth and learn.” It sounds more pleasant, more warm and fuzzy, to talk about loving one’s neighbor as oneself, than to use the word “hate.” Yet I submit that many of us are not good at loving ourselves and if we can’t love ourselves first, how can we truly love others?
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We abuse our bodies with excesses. We stay in relationships that stifle us. We choose the quick easy way rather than the better way. We invest in the short term rather than have the foresight to look ahead. We expect our kids to do as we say, and not as we do. And the list goes on. on the other hand, we do know what is hateful to us, or at least what we don’t like or that which makes us uncomfortable. I don’t like when drivers don’t signal when turning. I don’t like when people yell at their kids. I don’t like when people are rude. What don’t you like? If we can acknowledge what we don’t like and avoid doing it to others, the world truly will be more golden. In Mr. Roger’s infamous words, “Won’t you be my neighbor?” Rabbi Barbara Symons was ordained by Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 1994. She has served congregations in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts before being called to the pulpit of Temple David in 2006. She helped Temple David celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2008. She is an active member of the Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium, founded in part by Rabbi Emeritus Jason Z. Edelstein, and believes that a synagogue, referred to as a House of Prayer, House of Study and House of Gathering should feel like a home.