Does God Hate Non-Jews? A Torah Perspective on Humanity and Morality

Uri asks: “I’ve seen various quotes and statements from our Sages that seem to express a negative attitude toward non-Jews. For example, the saying: ‘There are four things that God regrets having created: exile, the Chaldeans, the Ishmaelites, and the evil inclination’ (Sukkah 52b). Does this mean that God hates non-Jews? I’d appreciate an explanation.”

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Certainly, God does not hate His creations. As the Sages taught:
“Beloved is man, for he was created in the image [of God]. A greater love is that it was made known to him that he was created in the image, as it is stated (Genesis 9): ‘For in the image of God He made man.’” (Pirkei Avot 3:14)

God has compassion on all His creations, even on the wicked. The Talmud relates that when the Egyptian army drowned in the Red Sea, the angels wished to sing praises, but “God said: ‘My handiwork is drowning in the sea, and you wish to sing?’” (Megillah 10b).

The Torah even commands the Jewish people: “Do not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land” (Deuteronomy 23:8). Moreover, the Torah commands us to love converts, to show them compassion and help them, even though they came from among the nations.

Understanding the Negative Statements

The quotes you’ve seen refer to the wickedness of certain nations or individuals — those who choose to harm or oppress Israel. They are not blanket condemnations of all non-Jews. Following is a Midrash that explains this clearly:

Once, the Roman governor Turnus Rufus asked Rabbi Akiva:
“Why does your God hate us? It says (Malachi 1:2), ‘But Esau I hated.’”

Rabbi Akiva replied, “I’ll answer you tomorrow.”

The next day, Rabbi Akiva told him about a dream he had: “In my dream, I had two dogs — one named Rufus and the other Rufina (the name of Turnus Rufus’ wife).”

Turnus Rufus became enraged: “You dared name your dogs after me and my wife? That’s an insult punishable by death under Roman law!”

Rabbi Akiva responded: “And what difference is there between you and them? You eat and drink, they eat and drink. You reproduce, they reproduce. You die, they die. If you are so offended that I named dogs after you, how much more should God be offended when you take a piece of wood and call it ‘God,’ giving His name to an idol?!”

The Midrash teaches that the negative verses and statements refer to idolatry, bloodshed, and immorality — not to good, moral non-Jews who live according to their conscience and the divine image within them.

Righteous Among the Nations

The Talmud even praises non-Jews who act with great kindness. For example, Dama ben Netina, a non-Jew, is honored for honoring his parents, even at the cost of a great financial loss (Kiddushin 31a).

The Torah teaches that God implanted a moral sense in all human beings, enabling them to distinguish between good and evil. This is why non-Jews are obligated to observe the Seven Noahide Laws, which include basic moral principles such as prohibitions against murder, theft, and adultery.

Even before the Torah was given, God judged humanity according to this moral law: He punished the Generation of the Flood for their violence, and Sodom and Gomorrah for their corruption (Genesis 6:5; 13:13).

Moral Responsibility for All Humanity

Our Talmudic Sages said (Eruvin 100b): “Had the Torah not been given, we would have learned modesty from the cat, avoidance of theft from the ant, avoidance of promiscuity from the dove, and proper conduct from the rooster.”

This shows that God embedded in humans the ability to admire good traits and disdain bad ones, even in animals, so they would certainly recognize moral good and evil among people.

Therefore, non-Jews receive reward and punishment in the World to Come according to their deeds. As it says (Psalms 9:18): “The wicked will return to the grave, all the nations who forget God” — from which our Sages deduced that only those who forget God are excluded, but righteous non-Jews do have a share in the World to Come.

The Midrash states: “If a person wishes to be righteous, even a non-Jew can.” Such people are referred to as “Righteous Among the Nations” (Chassidei Umot HaOlam) and will merit resurrection when the Redemption comes.

Halachic Conclusion

Maimonides (Rambam) rules in Mishneh Torah: “Anyone who accepts the Seven Noahide Laws and is careful to observe them is among the Righteous of the Nations and has a share in the World to Come — provided he accepts them because God commanded them in the Torah and informed us through Moses that Noah’s descendants were commanded to keep them.” (Laws of Kings 8:11, 10:12)

Jewish law distinguishes between a wicked non-Jew and a righteous one and commands us to treat righteous non-Jews with respect, kindness, and assistance. The negative quotes you’ve seen refer only to nations and individuals who choose to act wickedly, but even they can repent, and in the future, “Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord…’ Nation will not lift sword against nation, and they will learn war no more.” (Isaiah 2:3–4)