Imitation: Between narcissistic reflection and the image of God

Source: Walking after attributes, not after the fire

Rabbi Hama son of Rabbi Hanina said: What is the meaning of the verse, "You shall walk after the Lord your God"? Is it possible for a person to walk after the Divine Presence? Has it not already been said, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire"!

Rather, it means to walk after the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He:

Just as He clothes the naked... so too, you must clothe the naked.

The Holy One, blessed be He, visited the sick... so too, you must visit the sick.

The Holy One, blessed be He, comforted mourners... so too, you must comfort mourners.

The Holy One, blessed be He, buried the dead... so too, you must bury the dead.

(Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sotah, 14a)

Explanation: Imitating actions versus stealing power

The central theological concept is Imitatio Dei (the imitation of God), just as the Talmud presents it: it is impossible to draw near to the transcendent God ("a consuming fire"); it is dangerous and impossible. The solution is imitating actions, not the essence. Pagan imitation attempts to steal power and magic—Prometheus stealing fire, Lucifer trying to seize dominion, Tantalus stealing nectar, and others—while Jewish imitation seeks to adopt morality and loving-kindness, or at most, to steal wisdom.

Perspective: Being the most faithful mirror

After a whole week of seeing imitation as envy, forgery, and deception, we discover that it is also the ladder to redemption. A human being is not the original; he is a mirror. The only question is what you reflect. If you imitate your neighbor—that is envy and destruction. If you imitate the divine attributes—there lies repair. To be the "image of God" means being the best, most precise, and most delicate caricature of the infinite source. And this is not a 'religious' question meant only for believers; the imitation of what we call God is the imitation of what divinity symbolizes: doing good, upholding the law, respect, and awe.

Going Deeper: From mechanical imitation to internalizing the example

The word 'imitation' carries a negative connotation, unless we are talking about art. The positive alternative is 'personal example,' but what actually sets them apart? The first difference is depth: imitation is usually a technical act, a mechanical copying of the original. By contrast, a 'personal example' requires internalizing the values that motivate the action. The second difference is the model: we draw a 'personal example' from someone we can relate to emotionally. In contrast, sublime role models or divine figures are objects of practical imitation alone ('What did He do?'), because the gap between us and them does not allow for full identification. We cannot be God; we can only try to act like Him.

Culture: Narcissus: When imitation becomes self-obsession

In Tim Burton's film Big Fish (2003), a conflict unfolds between the father, Edward Bloom, a compulsive storyteller who recreates his life as a tall tale, and his son William, a journalist who seeks only the dry, factual "truth." Throughout the film, the son disdains his father's imitation and fabrication, seeing them as an escape from reality. But the defining moment comes in the final scene: the father lies dying in the hospital, no longer able to speak. He asks his son to tell him how it ends. In that moment, William is forced to imitate his father. He lets go of the facts and weaves a fantastical tale in which the father does not die, but turns into a big fish and swims into eternity. Imitation here is an act of reconciliation and deep understanding: the son realizes that the stories (the imitation) were the father's way of lending meaning and enchantment to a banal life. The moment the son imitates his father's language, he carries forward his legacy. Imitation becomes the chain of generations, and the legend becomes the only truth that matters. As the film puts it: "A man tells his stories so many times that he becomes the stories. They live on after him, and in that way he becomes immortal."