Rabbi Sacks writes that the text in Eikev explicitly refers to God’s love for us: “His covenant of love”, and that He will love you and bless you. The root a-h-v appears 23 times in Deuteronomy, and only 4 times elsewhere in the Torah. He disputes the Christian contrast between Christianity — a religion of love and forgiveness – and with Judaism – a religion of law and retribution. Rabbi Sacks cites philosopher Harry Redner, who traces one of the 4 visions of ethical life as morality – “the ethic of love”, which made Western culture morally unique.
