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DEUTERONOMY — 6:24 survival

DEUT316 The true Law, which as we said is one, and besides which there is no other Law, viz., The Law of our teacher Moses, has for its purpose to give us the twofold perfection [the well-being of the soul and the well-being of the body]. It aims first at the establishment of good mutual relations among men by removing injustice and creating the noblest feelings. In this way the people in every land are enabled to stay and continue in one condition, and every one can acquire his first perfection. Secondly, it seeks to train us in faith, and to impart correct and true opinions when the intellect is sufficiently developed. Scripture clearly mentions the twofold perfection, and tells us that its acquisition is the object of all the divine Commandments. Comp. "And the Lord commanded us to do all the statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always, that He might preserve us alive this day." [this verse]. Here the second perfection is first mentioned because it is of greater importance, being, as we have shown, the ultimate aim of man's existence. This perfection is expressed in the phrase, "For our good always." You know the interpretation of our Sages, "that it may be well with thee" (Deuteronomy 22:7) namely, in the world that is all good, "and that thou mayest prolong thy days," [same verse] i.e.., In the world that is all eternal. In the same sense I explain the words, "for our good always," to mean "that we may come into the world that is all good and eternal, we are we may live permanently"; and the words, "that he might preserve us alive this day," I explain as referring to our first and temporal existence, to that of our body which cannot be in a perfect and good condition except by the cooperation of society, as has been shown by us. (Maimonides, Guide of the Perplexed, III, 27).

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DEUTERONOMY — 10:19 love

DEUT461 [This verse]. It is a mitzvah for us to love the one who enters under the wings of the Shechinah, undertaking to observe all the commands of the Torah. In 36 places the Torah cautions us to love the stranger, and not to mislead him even if only words were involved. God's love for them is greater than the love of Israel. Think of this parable: There are two men -- one loves the king, the other was beloved by the king. Who is greater? Is it not the one whom the king loves? Now the Israelites love the Holy One, and He loves the stranger, as it is written, "and He loves the stranger and gives him bread and raiment." Therefore, it is a mitzvah for us to love the one whom the king loves.... (R. Yehuda Hehasid (died 1217), Sefer Hassidim, p. 116.)

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DEUTERONOMY — 12:18 happy

DEUT568 The varied pleasures in life are not evil in themselves, but only when they are abused. Happiness is not only possible, it is mandatory: "And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thy hands into." [this verse] The Shechinah rests upon a man only when he is joyous, and a person will have to render an account for the pleasures that came his way, and he did not enjoy. Shabbat 30b; Yerushalmi, end of Kiddushin.

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DEUTERONOMY — 12:28 good

DEUT583 ... I hope to put to rest the widespread but false notion that, after producing the Bible, the Jewish people wrapped itself in a cocoon of laws, continuing in this state of hibernation down to the modern period. Actually, the ethical philosophy of Judaism can be seen from the human viewpoint as a basic and balanced response to the ultimate questions of our existence. Far from being diminished, its validity, when it is considered apart from the closed circle of dogmatic beliefs, is really enhanced. The enduring theme of Judaism is the quest of the good life – "to do that which is right in the sight of man and good in the sight of God." [Author cites Sifri, Deuteronomy 12:29 -AJL] This two-fold quest remains our "ultimate concern," as human beings, even when we no longer assume that the Divine Will has been revealed in all literalness and completeness. If by religion we mean a living awareness of the mystery of life, we cannot separate the domain of ethics. Every value we affirm points to a structure of values in the scheme of things. We cannot even rank man above the beast without some conception of the cosmic order. Thus, religion and humanism cannot be completely separated.

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DEUTERONOMY — 20:11 peaceably

DEUT993 As to the evils of war, the prophet had foreseen war's ultimate abolition; but, in the Talmud, wars were considered legitimate undertakings, even if their objective was to acquire booty and slaves. Berochot 3b. A "permitted war" (milhemet horeshut) was distinguished from a "mandatory war" (milhemet mizva), the former might be waged for such purposes as enlarging the boundaries of the country, or in order to subject a foreign city to slavery and to the payment of tributes. "If the city thus attacked offers to pay tribute, but does not accept enslavement, or if it accepts enslavement without paying tribute, its terms are not accepted until it undertakes to pay both."(This verse; Sifri, ad loc.) In the Mishnah, implements of war were deemed disgraceful reminders of human rapacity; hence, it was considered unlawful to wear a sword on the Sabbath. Shabbat 63a

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DEUTERONOMY — 23:21 interest

DEUT1288 Ethical Implications of "Chosenness". A deep and abiding motivation in Jewish ethics is the conviction of being "chosen" by the Lord for a special task. The biblical doctrine of the Chosen People was reinforced in the course of time by the recognition of the historic role that the Jewish people have played in originating and disseminating the doctrine of ethical monotheism. Even secularist Jewish thinkers, like A'had Ha'am and his followers, believed that, as Jews, they were heirs of a unique genius and of a unique destiny in the realm of spiritual values. This awareness of a distinctive past and a special destiny was usually, but not always, associated with the belief in the mysterious racial qualities of "the holy seed." In any case, this conviction heightened the sense of responsibility of Jewish people. While the rewards of their special status belonged to "the World to Come," the tasks that devolved upon them were relevant here and now. It was their duty to "sanctify the Name," or "to make His Name beloved in the world." As Jews they were priests, not hermits who withdrew into the wilderness in order to keep their soul "unspotted of this world," but secular priests, who labor in the market place. This motivation contrasted strangely with the fact that the Law usually confined all benevolent activities within the ethnic boundaries of the Jewish people. "From the stranger, you may take usury, but from your brother you may not" [this verse]. Nearly the entire civil law, outlining the principles of fair dealing, was limited in application to transactions among Jews. For this reason, Max Weber characterized Jewish ethics as being the primitive morals of a "closed society" (Binnenmoral). Even the recently deceased Leon Roth wondered whether the editors of the Talmud and other basic texts in the past five hundred years were conscious of any all-human obligations and values. Judaism, 1962. But, the strictly legal limitations of the law were counteracted by the belief that the Jewish people collectively were given the task of bringing all mankind to the service of the One God. Hence, their collective duty so to act as to bring glory to the Name.

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DEUTERONOMY — 28:58 fear

DEUT1552 God declares in plain words that it is the object of all religious acts to produce in man fear of God and obedience to His word--the state of mind which we have demonstrated in this chapter for those who desire to know the truth, as being our duty to seek. Comp. [this verse]. Consider how clearly it is stated here that the only object and aim of "all the words of this law" is to (make man) fear "the glorious and fearful name." That this end is attained by certain acts we learn likewise from the phrase employed in this verse: "If thou wilt not observe to do… that thou mayest fear." For this phrase clearly shows that fear of God is inculcated (into our hearts) when we act in accordance with the positive and the negative precepts. But the truths which the Law teaches us--the knowledge of God's Existence and Unity--create in us love of God, as we have shown repeatedly. You know how frequently the Law exhorts us to love God. Comp. "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they might." (Deuteronomy 6:5 ) The two objects, love and fear of God, are acquired by two different means. The love is the result of the truths taught in the Law, including the true knowledge of the Existence of God, whilst fear of God is produced by the practices prescribed in the Law. Guide of the Perplexed, III, chap. 52. (Maimonides)

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