What Does It Mean When Someone Loses Their Humanity?

Dear Rabbi, blessings and greetings. I would like to know what is meant by "humanity" and when can one be described as having "lost their humanity" according to Judaism and according to contemporary Western terminology. Blessings and success, Oded

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Greetings and blessings,

The term "humanity" is related to Hashem, as man was created "in the image" of Hashem. This does not refer, of course, to the physical form, but to the inner essence of a human being, since humans are the most similar in their inner essence to Hashem among all creatures in creation.

Losing humanity is a phrase used for someone who acts contrary to the attributes of Hashem. For example, a murderer who has not repented, or a person who is corrupt in their traits, egotistical, etc. In this matter, there is no significant difference between Judaism and the understanding of the world – for the simple reason that divine logic is deeply ingrained within us, and everyone understands it from the soul.

Hashem's way is to do good and show mercy; hence, a person should work on their traits to resemble their Creator. Those who turn to the opposite extreme, it is said about them that they have lost their humanity. An example of this would be the Nazis, who treated humans as though they were animals and thus lost their humanity.

Blessings,

Daniel Bels