Many discussions in Jesus’ day centered around which laws were the most important. The better the rabbi, the more succinctly he’d summarize the commands. Daily debates were held in temple courts around these interpretations. In a drop-the-mic, stun-the-crowd kind of moment, Jesus summarizes all 613 commands of the Torah saying, “Love God and love others as much as self” (Matt.22:24). 

Different rabbis held different interpretations. Some might emphasize how much a person could lift or how far one...