GEN863 It was taught: Rabbi [R. Judah Hanasi] said: “Great is the mitzvah of circumcision, for there was no one who performed mitzvoth as our father Abraham did, and yet he was called “perfect” only by virtue of having circumcised himself, as it is written: ‘Walk before Me and be perfect,” immediately after which it is written: “And I shall place My covenant [of circumcision] between Me and you”’” Nedarim 32a  TEMIMAH-GEN 71

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN866 R. Hoshea said: “If one perfects himself, he is granted success, as it is written: ‘Walk before Me and be perfect,” after which it is written: ‘And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.’” Nedarim 32a   TEMIMAH-GEN 72

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN867 Rabbi [R. Judah Hanasi] said: “Great is the mitzvah of circumcision, for with all the mitzvoth that Abraham performed, he was not considered perfect until he circumcised himself, as it is written [in respect to circumcision]: ‘Walk before Me and be perfect’” Nedarim 31b   TEMIMAH-GEN 71

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN868 It is this all-encompassing Torah principle of בדרכיו והלכת   [walking in His ways] concerning emulation of the ways and attributes of the Creator, which is the great central motif around which we must pattern all of our attitudes and all of our efforts concerning character development and ethical self-improvement. In his commentary on Genesis the Sforno renders expression to the exceedingly far-reaching significance of this concept as the most fundamental principle in regard to the development of the total Torah personality. Thus, on the words of the Almighty to Avraham … Walk before Me and be perfect [this verse], the Sforno remarks, “Attain the greatest perfection possible for a human being, to understand and know Me, Jeremiah 9:23 Radak commentary, through knowledge of My ways, and through emulating Me as much as is possible for you.   For in truth, the deeds of everything that exists serve as a reflection of its essence. [i.e., Therefore, we can know the Almighty through our knowledge of His attributes and His deeds.] As Moshe Rabbeinu said, “Pray, let me know Your ways, that I might know You.” Exodus 33:13 This is the ultimate perfection for the human race, and this is the purpose of the Eternal, be He blessed, in Creation, as it says “Let us make man, in our image [With a spark of eternal intellect, See Rashi, Sforno], after our [Whose behavior is performed with knowledge and bechirah – free choice. See Sforno] likeness.” [Rabbeinu Ovadiah Sforno (1470-1550) on Genesis 17:1].   In a similar vein, Maimonides stipulates that it is an affirmative Torah commandment for each individual to attempt to emulate the attributes of the Almighty.   “We were commanded to emulate the Almighty as much as possible. This is what is meant by the verse, You shall walk in His ways. Deuteronomy 28:9 The commandment is repeated in another verse, as it says “To walk in all His ways.” Deuteronomy 11:22.   For similar verses, see Deuteronomy 8:6, 10:12; 14:5; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16. The repetition of this phrase a number of times in the Torah, reinforces the significance of this concept.]   This was explained in the Sifrei to mean, “Just as the Almighty is referred to as merciful, Exodus 34:6; Psalms 145:8, so, too, shall you be merciful; just as the Almighty is referred to as compassionate, ibid. so, too, shall you be compassionate; just as the Almighty is referred to as righteous, Psalms 145:17, 11:7, so, too, shall you be righteous; just as the Almighty is referred to as saintly Psalms 145:17, Jeremiah 3:12, So, too shall you be saintly.” Rambam, Sefer Hamitazvos, Mitzvas Asei 8.  FENDEL 5-6

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN869 Purity was the special quality of Avraham Avinu, a”h – he rectified all the internal forces that are part and parcel of the body. As the midrash states (Bereshis Rabbah 46:3): “HaKadosh Baruch Hu said to Avraham, ‘There is no impurity within you save for he foreskin (orlah), remove it and eliminate your blemish – “Walk before Me and be perfect.” [this verse].’” Similarly, we read (Bereshis Rabbah 11:6), “Everything that came into being during the six days of Creation requires improvement – for example, the mustard see needs to be sweetened…even man needs rectification.”  … [Footnote of Rav Yisrael (Salanter):] this idea clarifies the Midrash (Bereshis Rabbah 30:10): “The verse states, ‘Noach walked with God’ (Genesis 6:9).   Rav Yehudah said: This may be likened to a king who had two sons – one an adult and the other a child. To the child he said, “Walk with me,’ but to the adult he said, ‘Come and walk before me.’ Similarly, to Avraham, whose strength was great, [He said] ‘Walk before Me and be perfect’ [this verse]. However, to Noach, whose strength was weak, [the Torah says,] ‘Noach walked with God.’”   Since Noach (according to his level) was not commanded concerning bris milah, he did not have the ability to achieve true rectification.   Rather, the level he reached, with the help of Heaven, was that of subduing his evil inclination. As Chazal state Sukkah 52b: “A person’s [evil] inclination intensifies itself over him every day, and if not for the help of KaKadosh Baruch Hu, man would not be able to overcome it” (see the text). This is the meaning of the verse: “Noach walked with God.” On the other hand, after Avraham removed his blemish (his foreskin), all the forces of his personality were rectified. Therefore, he was able to proceed on his own, to observe the way of Hashem “with heartfelt gladness, like one who walks with a flute” Isaiah 30:29. This is the meaning of the verse, “Walk before Me.”   OHRYIS 308-9

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN870 See [[GEN767]] Genesis 12:1 go LOC 62-3

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN871 What is signified by “after you”? The Holy One Blessed be He said to Abraham: “Do not marry a gentile woman or a maidservant, so that your children not be accounted hers [as is the halachah] Yevamot 100b   TEMIMAH-GEN 73

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN872 Those who do not fulfill the mitzvah of begetting children cause the Shechinah [Divine Presence] to depart from Israel, as it is written: “To be a God to you and to your children after you” – When there are children after you, the Shechinah rests upon them; but when there are not, upon what does it rest? Upon the trees and stones.  Yevamot 64a  TEMIMAH-GEN 73

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN873 Religion eventually replaced folk-customs as the primary source of ethics. Divine approval was substituted for popular approval as the criterion of moral conduct. As religion progressively evolved from a narrow tribal cult to embrace the terminology of universalism, it projected a broad morality divorced from parochialism. The triumph of Judaic monotheism inevitably led to the introduction of universalist concepts.  The Decalogue opened with the solemn declaration of monotheism, coupled with the declaration of the rights of man.   Its universality was acknowledged by Luther, who considered it a summary of all Christian ethics. The Age of Religion did not necessarily witness a rise of ethical societies. As a matter of practical expediency, religious leaders have accommodated themselves, at various stages in man’s history, to slavery, feudalism, industrial baronism, military dictatorships, and paranoid nationalism. In that respect there was no clear break with primitive ethical standards. On a personal level, too, religious ethics were not adequately reflected in the daily conduct of individuals. An overemphasis on ritualism frequently led to the stifling of moralism. Rituals are essential to the preservation of religion. They stimulate the exercise of self-discipline and safeguard the ethical principles with which they are associated. Yet the average religious individual finds it easier to express piety through a zealous observance of rituals then to make the effort central to the development of an ethical personality.  Furthermore, moralism is a nondenominational concept, while ritualism is sectarian and has a greater appeal to a member of a particular creed. Ritualism has consequently come to be regarded as the primary objective of religion. One may point to a number of statements in the Bible and Talmud which command ethical conduct per se, regardless of one’s zeal for ritual observance. Hillel considered the Golden Rule the very core and essence of Judaism. Rabbi Akiva upheld this rule as a “great principle of the Law.” The injunction to love man was thus given greater prominence than the injunction till love God. The rabbinic priorities were reversed in Luke 10:27 in the establishment of the proper conduct which guarantees eternal life. OriGenesis (3rd cent.), the outstanding Christian theologian of the early church, declared that a heretic whose moral life is good is to be condemned more than one whose moral life is unsatisfactory.   This became the dominant view which appealed to pietists of many generations, undermining the moral force of religion. It was not until the 17th century that the lone voice of John Selden, an Anglican theologian, proclaimed that Jews who are morally correct are entitled to the same heavenly rewards as Christians, a prospect long held out by rabbinic sages for all righteous gentiles. It was not until the 19yh century that Tolstoy declared that “love thy neighbor as thyself” is a summary of Christianity. Religion has undoubtedly played a vital role in shaping men’s ethical outlook. It is reasonable to expect that laws rooted in religion have also influenced moral insights. One is more likely to find this in Judaism and Islam, where law and morality flow from the same religious source. Judaism bases the relationship between man and God on a legal compact, the Covenant [this verse]. This helped Jews and Muslims to envision a link between law and ethics. The development of law in Judaism and Islam devolved on the legal scholar, who was also the exponent of religious ethics. Christendom, on the other hand, accepted Roman law as its own civil law. It adopted most of Rome’s legal concepts and rejected only the Roman views of slavery and marriage.   BLOCH 9-10

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

GEN874 Is Artificial Insemination from a Donor (A.I.D.) Permissible?   … the question … has not yet been definitively answered.  Rabbi Waldenberg categorically prohibits it as an utter abomination, and cites Rashi’s comment on a Talmudic passage. Rashi interprets the Biblical phase “…to be a God unto thee and to thy see after thee” [this verse] to mean that God favors only those whose genealogy (i.e. paternity) is known. Rashi commentary to Yevamot 42a.   The phrase in the Talmujd itself reads “to distinguish between the seed of the first (husband) and the seed of the second” Thus, Rabbi Waldenberg prohibits A.I.D. because the genealogy of the child is unknown. Another reason given by Rabbi Waldenberg and in many other responsa is “lest he marry his sister” as mentioned in the Talmud. Therefore, avoidance of possible incest would interdict A.I.D. A third reason for prohibiting it is that after the “proxy” father’s death, his other children may “steal” the portion of inheritance belonging to the child produced by A.I.D. Alternatively, the child may wrongly receive inheritance from his mother’s husband upon the latter’s death. Therefore, the question of stealing an inheritance makes A.I.D. forbidden. Even if the donor’s identity is known, continues Rabbi Waldenberg, A.I.D. is still prohibited, one reason being that the scriptural phrase “And thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbor’s wife to defile thyself with her” Leviticus 18:20 includes the prohibition of having one’s semen enter another’s wife even without the sexual act. There is, generally, strong rabbinic opinion, including that of Jakobovits, that A.I.D. should be condemned as “an act of hideousness” or “an abomination” or “human stud farming.” Although, technically, A.I.D. does not produce an illegitimate offspring, according to most viewpoints, it should be outlawed lest it pave the way to increased promiscuity. Only under the situations of extreme need does rabbinic opinion, as stated by Schwardron S.M. Schwadron, Maharsham (Brezany, 1910), vol 3. No. 268 and Bauol Y. Baumol, Emek Halakhah (New York, 1934), no 68. permit A.I.D. ROSNER 110-11

SHOW FULL EXCERPT