Judaism and Non-Jews: Misunderstood Texts, Moral Responsibility, and Divine Justice

Uri asks: “Hello, I came across a list of quotations from the Sages that seem, at first glance, to express a negative attitude toward non-Jews as such. For example, the statement: ‘There are four things the Holy One, blessed be He, regrets having created: exile, the Chaldeans, the Ishmaelites, and the evil inclination’ (Sukkah 52b). Does this mean that God hates non-Jews? What fault do they have for being born non-Jews? I would appreciate an explanation.”

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Shalom, Uri, and thank you for your thoughtful question.

God certainly does not hate His creations — quite the opposite. Our Sages taught: “Beloved is man, for he was created in the image [of God]. A special love was made known to him, for he was created in the image, as it is stated: ‘For in the image of God He made man’” (Pirkei Avot 3:14).

God has compassion for all His creatures. The Torah even commands Israel not to despise the Egyptians or the Edomites: “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother; you shall not abhor an Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land” (Devarim 23:8).

Moreover, the Torah explicitly commands us to love converts, to show them compassion and assistance, despite their non-Jewish origin. This proves that the Torah’s attitude toward a person is not based on lineage, but on conduct.

Context Matters: What the Sages Were Really Referring To

Unfortunately, there are provocateurs who deliberately remove rabbinic statements from their context, presenting collections of “quotations” that appear hostile toward non-Jews by stripping them of their original meaning.

What, then, is the truth?

Historically, the majority of non-Jews were idol worshippers who did not observe even the most basic of the Seven Noahide Laws (such as prohibitions against murder, theft, and adultery). When the Sages spoke harshly, they were addressing such societies. For this reason, the Talmud often uses the term akum — an acronym for “worshippers of stars and constellations.”

However, the Talmud uses different terms for upright and moral non-Jews, such as “Ben Noach” (a Noahide) or “Ger Toshav” (resident alien). A non-Jew who observes the Seven Noahide Laws is called a “Righteous One of the Nations of the World” and has a share in the World to Come.

Accordingly, the Sages praised righteous non-Jews, such as Dama ben Netina (Kiddushin 31a).

The negative statements you encountered refer to wicked non-Jews who chose to persecute and harm Israel, not to non-Jews by virtue of their identity.

A Midrash That Clarifies the Issue

The following Midrash addresses this matter directly and resolves the confusion: Turnus Rufus, a Roman governor, asked Rabbi Akiva: “Why does the Holy One, blessed be He, hate us, as it is written, ‘Esau I hated’?”

Rabbi Akiva replied: “Tomorrow I will answer you.”

The next day, Rabbi Akiva said that he had a dream.

Turnus Rufus asked: “What did you dream?”

Rabbi Akiva answered: “I saw two dogs — one named Rufus and one named Rufina” (Rufina was the name of Turnus Rufus’s wife).

Turnus Rufus became enraged and said: “You named your dogs after me and my wife? You are liable to death under Roman law!”

Rabbi Akiva replied: “What is the difference between you and them? You eat and drink, and they eat and drink; you reproduce, and they reproduce; you die, and they die. And you became angry merely because I named them after you. Yet the Holy One, blessed be He — who stretches out the heavens and establishes the earth, who gives life and causes death, you take a piece of wood and call it ‘god’ by His name. Should He not hate such behavior?” (Midrash Tanchuma, Terumah §3)

Rabbi Akiva teaches that all negative verses and rabbinic statements refer to idolatry, moral corruption, bloodshed, and denial of God — not to righteous non-Jews who preserve the divine image within them.

Moral Responsibility Applies to All Humanity

The Torah teaches that God implanted a moral sense in every human being, enabling all people to distinguish between good and evil. For this reason, non-Jews are obligated to observe the Seven Noahide Laws, which include fundamental moral principles such as prohibitions against murder, theft, and adultery.

Just as Avraham arrived at faith and moral integrity through honest reflection, all humanity is expected to discern right from wrong.

Judaism teaches that non-Jews receive reward and punishment in the World to Come according to their deeds. As it says in Tehillim (9:18): “The wicked shall return to the grave — all the nations who forget God.”

The Tosefta explains:Had Scripture said ‘all nations,’ one might think all non-Jews have no share in the World to Come. But since it says ‘all the nations who forget God,’ it implies that the righteous among the nations do have a share in the World to Come (Tosefta, Sanhedrin 13).

Likewise, Scripture states: “The Lord loves the righteous” (Tehillim 146:8), and the Midrash comments: “If a person seeks to be righteous — even a non-Jew may do so.”

The Rambam’s Definitive Ruling

Maimonides summarizes this view succinctly: “Anyone who accepts the Seven Noahide Laws and is careful to observe them is among the righteous of the nations of the world and has a share in the World to Come — provided he accepts and observes them because the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded them in the Torah and informed us through Moshe that the children of Noach were commanded in them earlier” (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings 8:11).

He further rules: “It appears to me that we are obligated to treat resident aliens with civility and acts of kindness just as we do Israelites, for we are commanded to sustain them” (ibid., 10:12).

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Lior asks: “Hello. Recently we celebrated the dedication of a second Torah scroll in the Bukharian synagogue in Düsseldorf, Germany. Outside the synagogue, I overheard two older men discussing the relationship between non-Jews and Israel. One claimed that God created non-Jews to serve Israel, while the other said Israel’s role is to be a ‘light unto the nations,’ guiding them to serve God. Which is correct?”

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Shalom, Lior, and thank you for your question.

The answer is that both were correct — each describing a different aspect of the same truth.

The complete truth is that all creation — animals, humanity, Israel, and even angels, was created for the fulfillment of the divine will. As the Sages taught: “Everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, created in His world, He created solely for His glory” (Pirkei Avot 6:11).

God’s will is fulfilled through the cooperation of His creatures, each according to their spiritual level and assigned role. Just as a king has sons and ministers close to him, alongside workers who serve the kingdom from afar, so too Israel was chosen to be a treasured nation: “You are children to the Lord your God” (Devarim 14:1), “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Shemot 19:6).

Yet Israel is also called God’s servants: “For the Children of Israel are servants to Me” (Vayikra 25:55).

A Unified Creation

The ultimate purpose of all beings is the service of God, realized through Torah, which is the crown of creation. Non-Jews may either assist in fulfilling this purpose, or, God forbid, oppose it. The world exists by virtue of the Torah: “If not for My covenant day and night, I would not have established the laws of heaven and earth” (Yirmiyahu 33:25).

The world can be likened to a living organism: Israel is the head that guides the limbs, which are the nations. All are part of the same body. The chosen nation leads; the nations walk by its light.

The Future Vision

Israel’s mission is to sustain the world through Torah and illuminate humanity with divine truth: “I will make you a light unto the nations, that My salvation may reach the ends of the earth” (Yeshayahu 49:6).

The prophets foresaw a future in which all nations return to God: “For from Zion shall go forth Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Yeshayahu 2:3), “Then I will transform the peoples to a pure language, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve Him together” (Zephaniah 3:9).

In the perfected world, the nations will assist Israel so that Israel may engage in Torah in peace — while Israel, through Torah, channels spiritual and material blessing to all humanity.

One Creator, One Goal

Each being is rewarded according to its role and effort. Israel bears the greatest responsibility and thus receives the greatest reward. As the Ramchal explains, God created beings so they could earn goodness through their own effort, rather than receive it as unearned charity (Da’at Tevunot).

Jewish law distinguishes between wicked non-Jews and righteous ones, and commands us to assist the latter. Ultimately, even the nations will return to God, as the prophets describe: “Nation shall not lift sword against nation, nor shall they learn war anymore” (Yeshayahu 2:4).

Thus, all humanity — Israel and the nations alike, are united in serving the Creator, each according to their unique and honored role.