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How could Rabbi Akiva's students lack respect for each other when his central teaching was loving one's neighbor? The Torah (תורה) distinguishes between relating to people on a human level versus recognizing their tzelem Elokim. The Cain and Abel story illustrates that personal attacks violate God's image, not just human dignity.
Rabbi Zweig addresses the fundamental question of how Rabbi Akiva's students could have lacked proper respect for one another when their teacher's central principle was "v'ahavta l'rei'acha kamocha" (love your neighbor as yourself). The Rabbi explains that there are two levels of interpersonal relationships: relating to others as fellow human beings versus recognizing them as created b'tzelem Elokim (in God's image). The students understood the human level but missed the divine dimension. Using the story of Cain and Abel, Rabbi Zweig demonstrates that Cain's murder of Abel was not merely sibling rivalry but an attack against God through His representative. When God rejected Cain's offering, Cain struck out at God's image bearer rather than directly at God. This explains Cain's subsequent impudence when God asked about Abel's whereabouts.
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