Q&A: How is it possible that with the commandments of the same Torah people do opposite things?
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
How is it possible that with the commandments of the same Torah people do opposite things?
Question
Have a good week,
I was asked by a friend, בעקבות the “corona”: how is it possible that the Religious Zionists refrained from communal prayer while the Haredim were careful to continue it, with both sides claiming that they acted in fulfillment of the Torah’s commandments? Is it conceivable that under the commandments of the same Torah some Jews would fast on Yom Kippur while others would eat?
Best regards, Benjamin
Answer
I debated whether to delete this question. But I decided that stupidity is not grounds for deletion.
Benjamin,
How is it possible that there are disputes in halakhic rulings? How is it possible that the Haredim do not say Hallel on Independence Day and the Religious Zionists do? How is it possible that one rabbi explains to us that proper conduct, work, and the study of secular wisdom are essential and good from a human standpoint and do not contradict Judaism, while another explains to us that the Holy One, blessed be He, has nothing in His world but the four cubits of Jewish law?
How is it possible that rabbis preach to us from lecterns that Judaism is a religion of peace and fellowship among human beings, while others preach to us that its essence is hatred of the stranger?