EXOD355 Characteristic of the Jewish faith is th[e] sense of reality, the reality which does not attach prime importance to material or tangible things which are ephemeral, but which concentrates rather on the moral life as expressed in noble conduct and the will to create an shape, to labor and perform. Every page of the Torah is shot through with this desire to love and to be loved, to be happy and to rejoice the hearts of others [See Deut. xvi. 11-14; xxvi.11]. This sense of reality is fostered by the consciousness of a personal, omnipresent God who reveals himself at Sinai not as the creator aloof from the universe but as one "Who brought the out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" [this verse].

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD357 For jealousy is the rage of a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance. (Proverbs 6:34) Jealousy is defined as a state of apprehension of being displaced by a rival. All types of human relationships, religious, economic, and domestic, are susceptible to attacks of jealousy. The first commandment, "Thou shall have no other gods before me" [this verse], is reinforced with the declaration "for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God" as a warning that God is vigilant in the protection of monotheism from pagan encroachments. Top executives are jealous of underlings who scheme to replace them in their dominant positions. They react to such threats with sharpened alertness and undisguised hatred. Husbands and wives are jealous of rivals who attempt to steal the affection of a spouse. A threatened mate reacts with a heightened sense of suspicion and vindictiveness. Most people regard jealousy as a legitimate and justifiable reaction, if facts and circumstances warrant it. Unfortunately, jealousy is an explosive emotion which thrives on suspicion more often than on facts. This is particularly true of jealousy arising from romantic involvements. A biblical verse warns of its a dangerous intensity. "For love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave; the flash thereof are flashes of fire" (Song of Songs 8:6). Groundless jealousy is an emotional aberration which does not respond to logic or moral admonitions. An unreasonably jealous individual is not impressed by charges of unethical conduct. On the contrary, his conviction that he is motivated by moral dictates for the preservation of chastity is progressively hardened and insulated by a sense of self-righteousness. Psychologists attribute extreme jealousy to an inferiority complex. This diagnosis offers little hope for short-range relief.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD359 One is not to utter any word who sense is heresy (Heaven forbid), or some acknowledgment of idolatry (Heaven forbid). For if anyone acknowledges idol-worship, it is as though he denies heretically the entire Torah, since he denies the very fundamental principle. And we are duty-bound to be ready to give up our lives and our might over this; for in regard to all things that touch on the main principle of our faith, there is an obligation to accept death [if necessary] and not transgress.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD360 One may not believe in any god besides Hashem. This concept, too, is a centerpiece of the Jewish religion. If someone believes in a false deity, it is as if he denies the entire Torah.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD361 See [[GEN854]] Genesis 15:16 iniquity DORFFDRAG 66

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD362 The Ten Words are usually divided into two tables. (J.H. Hertz, The Pentateuch and Haftorahs. Soncino, 1965, p. 295). This is the five-five division. The first table enumerates a person's duties toward God. The second table describes a person's duties to his fellow human being. I propose a different division for the purpose of ethics: the one-eight division. Let us call it the one-eight hypothesis. I perceive in the Ten Words one moral principle followed by eight moral rules. The Ten Words, thus, constitute the fundamentals of a moral system. What is the moral principle in the Ten Words? Can we find in them something comparable to the golden rule or the categorical imperative or the utilitarian principle? To discover it, we do not need to look beyond the second word: “Thou shall have no other gods before me.” [Exodus 20:3]. This principle is a source of moral rules and does not admit of exceptions. We are always called upon to resist idolatry--to keep our priorities straight by not making power, wealth, prestige or anything else but obedience to God our primary goal and fundamental loyalty. When faced with an ethical choice, we must ask: “Am I being loyal to God? Or am I obeying my nation, my social group, my selfish desires?” This is the principle of priorities. This principle cannot be separated from the first word which describes God as the redeemer from slavery. For the first word, with its emphasis on freedom, describes the kind of God who demands our loyalty. This is a God who cares, an ethical God. To such a God, we owe obedience. For the purposes of ethics, the first and second words are inseparable. Together, they form a compelling moral expression of ethical monotheism. Words three through ten are moral rules. Since they are rules, not principles, we can find exceptions to each. Earlier in this book, I quoted the case of Mrs. Bergmeier which constituted an exception to the Seventh Word. The Maccabees (Jewish freedom fighters of the second century B.C.E.) violated the Sabbath in order to preserve Judaism. Occasionally, there are truly sadistic parents who should not be honored. In some situations, stealing is justified. And so it is for every word.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD358 Nothing must be done to endanger the holy alliance (Kiddushin) of man and wife. The Rabbis devote five tractates of the Talmud to this theme. Kiddushin and Ketubot deal mainly with marriage settlement; Yebamot with Levirate and prohibited marriages; Sotah with the woman suspected of adultery and Gittin with divorce, not to mention the references to these themes scattered over the other tractates. The Rabbis found it necessary to deal with these themes exhaustively in view of the vagueness of the Biblical laws. These Talmudic laws have been systematically collected into works that are still the authoritative sources of every Rabbi. These are the Mishneh Torah of Maimonides and the Eben Ha'ezer of Joseph Karo [no fewer than 178 sections dealing with marriage and divorce appear in Karo's work]. These authorities warns that intermarriage is likely to mar family purity and sew dissension and produce disreputable children [Deut. vii. 3-4; Ezra ix. 1-2, x. 10-11; Neh. x. 31, xiii. 23-25; Ab. Zara 31b; Eben Haezer xvi. 1; Maimonides Issure Biah xii.I]. Though ne Rabbinic view states that "Gentiles in the Diaspora cannot really be termed idolaters", yet marriage with them is disallowed. [Hull. 13b]. That just as virtue and righteousness flow from the worship of God, so do vice and oppression issue from the ungodly marriage, especially with daughters of the heathen. This will explain the seemingly harsh measures taken, especially by Ezra, against idolatry and immorality, both of which are to be eliminated [this verse, Lev. xix. 4; Deut iv. 15-25]. A "holy people" must remove all obstacles to the purity of family life and regard them as abominations [Deut vii.3]. Marriage is something more than a civil contract; it is an institution based on morality and implying the most sacred duties.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD356 Another powerful motivator for observance of the commandments is gratitude for God's historical role as Israel's savior and provider. The exodus from Egypt and the conquest of a "land flowing with milk and honey," with its abundant resources for which Israel need to invest little effort (e.g., Deut 6:10-11), are used to arouse Israel's appreciation and sense of obligation. God introduces Himself in the Decalogue has He who "brought Israel out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage," to justify the following prohibition of allegiance to other gods [this verse]. Conversely, many biblical texts assume that it is ingratitude in particular that leads to disobedience (Deut 8:11-18, 32:15; and for this idea in prophetic literature, see Isa 1:2-3, Jer 2:5-8, Ezek 16, Hos 13:4-6, Amos 2:10-12). (By Elaine Adler Goodfriend, “Ethical Theory and Practice in the Hebrew Bible)

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD363 Do not make any object for the sake of worshipping it, even if only others will worship it, not you. According to the Rambam (Maimonides), one is forbidden even to tell someone else to make such an object. [According to the Ramban (Nachmanides), however, one violates the prohibition only if one makes the idol with intent to worship it]. Key concept: To distance us from idol worship.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

EXOD364 The God who, to the accompaniment of thunders, once proclaimed at Mount Sinai: "You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image!" (this verse), is supposed to be beautiful? The God who said of Himself: "You cannot see My face, for man may not see Me and live," (Exodus 33:20), is supposed to be apprehended in aesthetic categories? Jewish monotheistic sensitivity must surely shrink back from such a thought. Or must it? There is love in the world, and we regard God as the Source of Love. There is the search after righteousness in the world, and we see God as the Fountain of Righteousness. We human beings, even (or is it particularly?) in this technocratic world, wants to be regarded as persons, and not as statistical numbers. However, if we claim personhood for ourselves, then it would follow that the Creator, to whom we owe our existence and our personhood, must have at least as much personhood as His creatures. And, then, there is beauty in our world. Does it, therefore, not make sense to assert that beauty, too, has its origin in God, so that whatever we perceive as beautiful, and call "beautiful," goes back to something which is also an attribute of God?

SHOW FULL EXCERPT