חדש באתר: NotebookLM עם כל תכני הרב מיכאל אברהם

Q&A: Jewish Law and Morality

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Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.

Jewish Law and Morality

Question

You really have to listen to this (link removed) before forming your position on the relationship between Jewish law and morality.

Answer

First, before forming my position—it’s already too late to listen to this. My views are already pretty well formed.
But I listened to the first few minutes, and already from the way he describes Leibowitz’s doctrine at the beginning, many flaws in it surfaced (in my opinion too), and I assume that’s what he goes on to say later. Leibowitz did not understand Kant, and in my view not even himself (I wrote about this in my books). He has a positivist limitation, and that prevents him from understanding the full picture as it really is.
In any case, thanks for the link. Maybe I’ll listen when I have the time.
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Questioner:
You see the essence of Judaism as Jewish law, not as beliefs, over which there are disputes and which, practically speaking, don’t really make much difference (the soul’s survival after death, redemption, the messiah, etc.).
Building the Temple is part of Jewish law, so what is your position regarding building it?
Do you believe sacrifices will be offered there (a Temple as it was in the past)?
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Rabbi:
There is a commandment to build a Temple and to offer sacrifices, and therefore from a halakhic standpoint we are supposed to try and do so. What will happen in the end of days? I do not know. Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook argued that offerings will be brought from plant matter, and I hope he is right. But that is prophecy, not halakhic interpretation. As stated, halakhically there is a commandment, and it is binding. For now, thank God, it is not realistic.

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