Therefore, the tanna [Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai] described the mutual guaranty as similar to the situation of two people on a boat. One of them began to drill a hole underneath himself, and his friend asked, “Why are you drilling?” He answered, “What difference does it make to you? I’m drilling under myself, not under you.” His friend replied, “Fool! We will die together in the boat!” [Midrash Raba, Leviticus Chapter 4]

This is similar to what we have been saying. Those who throw off the yoke of the mutual guaranty are sinking in self-love, and by their actions they build an iron fence that prevents the Torah-observant from even beginning to properly keep the Torah and mitzvot according to the standard of “and love your fellow as yourself,” which is the ladder for attaining devekut [cleaving to God] as previously mentioned [section 6]. How correct were the words in the parable when he said: “Fool, we will die together in the boat!”86