Moreshet Shaul: The Ethics of the Torah | Various Rabbis | Beit Midrash

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Mussar (ethics) is a measuring stick to determine good and evil. It is accepted in philosophy that ethical determinations are based on people’s feelings and inclinations, i.e., human conscience. According to the Torah, it is based on the example of Hashem, as finds expression in the Thirteen Attributes of [Hashem’s] Mercy.
The ways of Hashem served as a guide for Avraham, before the Torah was given (Bereishit 18:19), and it is the foundation stone of all the mitzvot of the Torah, "which are included in His actions" (Moreh Nevuchim 1:54). The general approach of imitatio dei (to imitate our Maker) finds expression in the mitzva to "go in all His ways" (Devarim 10:12), which Chazal tell us, means to cling to His attributes (Sota 14a).
These conclusions teach us: 1. The rules of ethics are permanent and immutable; 2. They do not arise from a need to deal with human frailty and tendencies, in which a person’s likes and dislikes are important. 3. They are based not on feelings, but on justice and absolute truth.
The relationship in the Thirteen Attributes between the elements of mercy and the elements of punishment (12 to 1) demonstrate that "the world is built on kindness" (Tehillim 89:3). Hashem’s attribute of strict judgment is intended to preserve the foundation of the world so that it will not get swallowed up by giving in to evil, which is liable to take control, if steps to curb it will not be imposed.
In this way, justice protects society from all deterioration and deviation. This is also our understanding of mitzvot, which require a person to discipline himself and firmly rule over his inclinations. Laxness and concession to the wicked and to evil actually aid them to take over and uproot the foundation of kindness, and it is the latter that must build the world.
The expectation that man "imitate" the divine is very ambitious. It goes beyond the accepted attribute of fairness, which is: "that which is mine is mine, and that which is yours is yours." The world was not built on the latter, for if so, the world would not have to be created, since everything is His and from Him.

Moreshet Shaul (20)

Various Rabbis

9 - Moreshet Shaul: With Sason, Not for Sason

10 - Moreshet Shaul: The Ethics of the Torah

The mitzva to "love your counterpart as yourself" (Vayikra 19:18) means that one should not "love others in a measured way" (Ramban ad loc.) "as everything can go directly from him to his friend without delay, without holding back for himself even like the width of a hair" (Rav Yeruchan of Mir). "That which is mine is yours, and that which is yours is yours" is the real approach to one’s counterpart, no matter who, and this is the lesson of the pasuk "to cleave to Him" (Devarim 11:22).
Since this idea obligates everyone, we see that the purpose of giving is giving itself. "This is truly the form of man … if man lives for himself … and withholds everything for himself, this is the opposite of the way he was created" (Rav Yerucham of Mir). This is the way Hashem created the world, as this is the trait embedded in man since he was created in Hashem’s form.
This also explains the obligation to be holy, in the context of intergender relations. When one’s physical enjoyment is only for himself, this causes kritut (being cut off from the world). It does not matter whether it is for mitzvot between people or in relation to Hashem. Everything is focused on a single goal – uncovering man’s true form.
Just as the purpose of justice is to serve kindness, so too the purpose of kindness is justice, since its source is in divine truth, which does not stem from emotions. It is incorrect to claim that in the hierarchy of values, justice is on a lower level than love and kindness or that the two are on different planes. Rather, they are both on the same level – it is a matter of "This is what Hashem wanted" (see Moreh Nevuchim 50:13) or "So did His wisdom decree."

Moreshet Shaul