This quote came from the article,  “An Elder Among the Rabbis” by Rasmussen, which was published by BYU Studies. I found the article when I was researching the “Law of Love” while teaching for the Institute of Religion for the Moroni Stake.  Dennis Rasmussen’s story is a fascinating one and worth sharing.

The Beginning

Over the years, he had become fascinated with Judaism and Rabbinic traditions. He learned of an institute, to be held at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, entitled, “Institute for the Teaching of the Post-Biblical Foundations of Western Civilization.” It was to last for eight weeks during the summer of 1978 (with one additional week the following summer) and would be taught by five rabbis on the faculty.

College teachers in the humanities and social sciences were invited to apply. Twenty would be selected as fellows of the Institute. Rasmussen applied and was delighted to be chosen as one of the twenty.

The Seminary is located on 122nd Street and Broadway in New York, and just two blocks from Columbia University.  Across the street is the Union Theological Seminary.  A few blocks further is Grant’s Tomb which overlooks the Hudson River.

They divided the fellows up into groups so they could get to know the faculty better. Dennis went with Rabbi Yochanan Muffs, and describes him as “a wonderful man with sparkling eyes and an expansive love for people which he communicated with every word and gesture.” Rabbi Muffs interviewed each member of his group, asking what they hoped to learn, what subjects they taught, and why they had come to the institute.

Quoting From Dennis

“He turned to me and I introduced myself as a professor from BYU. He responded enthusiastically:
“You’re the Mormon!” he boomed.
“Yes.”
“Do you wear the garment?”
“Yes.”
He turned and pointed out his window. Against the blue sky, we could see, framed in the window, the spire of the chapel at Union Theological Seminary. On the top was a figure, blowing a trumpet.
“People around here think that’s Gabriel,” he said. “You and I know who it really is, don’t we? That’s Moroni.”
“Do you pay your tithing?” Here I almost became confused. Was this a dream? Was I being interviewed for a temple recommend? Was this Bishop Muffs, or Rabbi Muffs?
“Do you pay your tithing?”
“Yes.”
“Do you pay it with a joyful heart?”
“Yes.”

Rabbi Muff leaned back in his chair and spoke more softly, but with even greater intensity. “I believe,” he said, “that joy is the essence of religion. There is nothing more fundamental to religious living than joy. That is its heart. I am working on a book about joy. I want to trace it not only through the Bible but through the literature of the ancient Near East generally.”

Dennis had decided before he left Provo that he would be discreet about discussing Mormonism; his purpose in going to the Institute was to learn. But he had also resolved that if a good opportunity presented itself, he would not be shy. Here was this good man, telling him about the importance of joy. What verse do you think was racing through his mind?

Then Dennis shared, “You know, there’s a passage in the Book of Mormon about “joy” that you might like. It says, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” (2 Ne. 2:25).

“Oh, my God,” whispered the rabbi. “I’ve found the text I’ve searched for all my life . . . in the Book of Mormon.” Turning to me, he said, “Say it again, but not so fast.”
As I repeated the familiar words, phrase by phrase, his eyes glowed. When I had finished, he offered to provide a midrash, which is an imaginative and frequently extended interpretation of a text. He said something like this.

According To The Rabbis

“According to Rabbis, when the Holy One, blessed be he, decided to create the world, the angels became jealous, and said to him, ‘Why do you want to create man when you have us? We are always with you. Why, then, do you need man?’ The Holy one replied, ‘Yes, you are always with me; hence, when you obey me, I never know if you obey me because you love me or because you see me watching you. But if I create man, it will be different. Adam will fall, for only being outside my presence can man exist as man, making choices in freedom. I will give him my Torah; if he obeys it he will have joy, and I will know that he obeys because he loves me, and not because he sees me watching him.”

Then Rabbi Muffs asked, “How do Mormons interpret the verse?” I replied that I saw little to add.

“You must sit by me at lunch,” he said.

Continuing The Dialogue

For the moment, our dialogue was over, and the presence of the others in the room demanded his attention. Soon, however, we were seated at a long table talking in each other’s ear about everything from the Word of Wisdom to higher criticism of the Bible. At the end of the meal, the person in charge called us all to order and announced that each one of the five teachers would now stand and introduce himself to the entire group. When Rabbi Muffs arose, he uttered the following words: “Ladies and gentlemen, I have had a shattering experience this morning.” All eyes became more intent. He continued, betraying a smile, “My colleague to my left, from Brigham Young University, has given me a text from the Book of Mormon that I have searched for all my life.” Placing his hand upon my shoulder, he said, “Stand up and say it for them . . . and watch the Jews.”

The Torah is the Law of Love

As Dennis concludes his experience at the institute as a fellow he shares, “And for me, as my experience at the Seminary reached its end, I began to see that the entire structure of Rabbinic Judaism rested, for the Rabbis as for Moses, upon the simple teaching which Christ himself reiterated, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. . . . Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ (Matt. 22:37, 39; Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18.) The Torah is a law of love. Obedience is a life of love. And always at the center of love, of peace, of joy, is the Holy One of Israel.”

Master, Which Is The Great Commandment

As we go to the detail of what the Savior summarized in the answer to the question, “Master, which is the great commandment in the Law [Torah]? The Savior profoundly summarized: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

I believe the world is greatly underestimating the importance of what the Savior is saying here in this grand summary. If these two commandments were obeyed by everyone, we would have no wars, Satan would be bound, and we would have heaven on earth. This is why I believe the Law of Love is the first law of heaven, and it is our greatest opportunity to make it be so here on Earth. So, living the commandments and loving as the Savior has asked us to do would bring the fullness of joy that we all seek.

Obedience is a Life of Love

The Apostle John shares the fundamental message from our Savior just before the infinite atonement: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Then, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me:” In logic If A implies B, and B implies A, then A and B are equivalent. So, here the Savior proves for us that the Law of Love is equivalent to the Law of Obedience. But now we have a celestial definition of obedience: we do it because we love.

As Dennis Rasmussen has shared, “Obedience is a life of love.” Our motivation in keeping the commandments is to always please the Father. Too often in the world, obedience means to do it or else! Do your duty, or there will be consequences. Which has a much heavier meaning. The Fullness of joy is in the Lord’s definition; we obey because we love Him and our neighbor (including our enemies). I pray that the world may receive this most important message of love and joy. Because of God’s infinite love for us, the blessings of living the Law of Love are beyond our fondest dreams.

David W. Allan

Recommended Citation
Rasmussen, Dennis (1981) “An Elder among the Rabbis,” BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 21 : Iss. 3 , Article 6.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol21/iss3/6
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been
accepted for inclusion in BYU Studies Quarterly by an authorized editor of BYU Scholars.

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