Q&A: On Morality and Jewish Law
On Morality and Jewish Law
Question
Hello, honorable Rabbi,
If our obligation to the command of Jewish law stems from a moral motive, couldn’t one argue that all the commandments we perform (which stem from that obligation to the command) are moral?
There’s a point here that I’m missing.
Answer
I’m not sure I understood the question. First, the obligation to Jewish law is not based on morality (see the end of the fifth booklet and my article on ontic gratitude). Second, even if that were the case, you’re asking a semantic question. It’s like when I was once asked whether non-observance of commandments constitutes drilling a hole in the ship we’re all on together, so that all commandments belong to the moral sphere. That is semantically true, but not relevant. When I argue for a distinction between Jewish law and morality, I mean the purposes for which Jewish law was established, and not necessarily the motivations for which one observes it.