Q&A: Torah and Morality
Torah and Morality
Question
Hello and blessings.
According to the Rabbi’s view that the commandments are nothing more than a collection of laws whose purpose is not moral (since morality and Jewish law are separate categories), what is the purpose of the commandments in our world? What role are they supposed to fulfill?
And commandments such as “Do not steal” or “Do not murder” — what is their purpose if not a moral one?
Answer
I do not know what the purpose of the commandments is. I defined them as having religious purposes (as distinct from moral ones). Some have wanted to argue that the commandments have no reasons, and are intended only to refine us or train us in obedience and in acting according to value-based principles (= Eliezer Berkovits). In my view this is not plausible, and that is also the view of Maimonides in Part III of The Guide for the Perplexed.
Commandments like “Do not murder” or “Do not steal” are meant to add a religious layer on top of the moral prohibition. That is, murder is not only a moral prohibition but also a religious one. Therefore there are differences in the definition of the prohibition. Morally, someone who kills indirectly is a murderer in every sense, but halakhically he is not liable to the death penalty (because the religious transgression is absent here).
Discussion on Answer
I have no idea. Even Rashi, in his very first comment on the Torah, struggled with this, and his answer is very strained. Many will tell you (see the Netziv’s introduction to Genesis) that it is meant to teach morality, but in my opinion at least today people do not learn anything from it. Perhaps in the past the morality accepted today took shape, among other things, on the basis of the Book of Genesis.
And for what purpose were the creation story and the stories of the Patriarchs included in the Torah?