The purpose of life
A basic premise in the thinking of the Rishonim, and to a large extent in most of the modern-day bathe midrash, is that the purpose of life is to worship God. Maimonides speaks of the knowledge of God, according to which one should direct one’s physical behavior, correct one’s morals, and establish social order. The Book of the Kuzari speaks of accepting the divine purpose, for which the human parts of man are merely a preparation. Hasidism speaks of devotion, as do most of the spiritual movements in the Jewish people in modern times. When discussing the difference between the religious and secular perspectives, it is often emphasized that religious practice has a purpose that precedes our decisions, and that there is one purpose, not many purposes that each person constructs in his own way.
This view is related to a purposive (utilitarian) view of the commandments. Maimonides, for example, explains the commandments as an order of life that enables knowledge of the Creator, and it is only natural that he would define the purpose of life as knowledge of the Creator. And so on, to each his own.
His Holiness usually explains that one observes the mitzvot as a result of ‘a sense of gratitude from the heart,’ and avoids purposeful explanations for the mitzvot (although he does not deny that there may be a purpose on God’s part, but we do not understand and observe only because we must). This is a more deontological view of the mitzvot.
This seemingly ‘delimits’ the commandments. Doing them is a personal obligation imposed on us, but if we do not speak of a general purpose to which they are directed, it ‘liberates’ many areas of life. It opens up the possibility of choosing other meanings for life, morality, hedonism, etc. According to the 7th, it is not correct to say that the purpose of life is adherence to it. It is more correct to say that we do not know what the purpose of our creation is, and each person will choose a purpose or give meaning to it to the best of their knowledge. Just do not forget that we must fulfill the commandments that the Creator has imposed on us.
Does the rabbi agree?
indeed.
So that I know whether I understood the Rabbi: The Rabbi's view is different from the words of the Ramban about one having to sleep and eat in order to be able to worship the Lord? And the Ramban's famous words about the saints will be (after all, there he says that one must follow the purpose of the mitzvah, and understands the prohibitions of forbidden foods and nakedness as being related to the abundance of desire)?
And to me, the mitzvahs of the Torah are not an obligation that in principle exists all the time (although there are many reasons that justify not studying? If so, there is a view here that life is centered around the Torah, except when dealing with the mitzvot and the way of the land.
Hello Yitzhak. It is better to continue such a discussion in a row. It is difficult for me to return to it after a while when I have already forgotten what it is about.
1. I am not entirely sure that this is indeed the view of the Rambam. He talks about proper conduct in life, but I do not remember him saying that all of this is intended so that we may worship the Lord. Proper conduct is itself the work of the Lord (preserving the body He created for us).
2. I do not see any connection between this discussion and the Rambam's words. Why, in my view, is there a contradiction to the duty of being holy?
3. The duty of the Torah is indeed as much as you can. But if you are engaged in something else that is necessary for you (not necessarily the work of the Lord), then you have not necessarily abrogated the Torah. You also mentioned Derech Eretz here.
4. Of course, you can expand the definition of the work of the Lord For all beneficial actions, then it is reasonable to define that there is such a permanent obligation.
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