Q&A: Sources for the Idea that Morality Has Torah Value
Sources for the Idea that Morality Has Torah Value
Question
Hello Rabbi (and congratulations on your hundredth column!).
I urgently need Torah sources for the idea that morality has Torah value. This idea was mentioned in your words in Column 80 (on normative duplication) — "the conflict between the values of democracy and Jewish law is an intra-Torah conflict (within God's will), even if not an intra-halakhic one," and in other places.
I would be glad if you could point me to sources from the classic Jewish bookshelf.
At the moment I have the Ran's introduction to the Talmud, and the Netziv's approbation to the book Shemiah"l. I also have the words of the author of Dor Revi'i in the introduction, but it seems to me that they are too extreme. Are there additional sources???
Thank you very much!!!
Answer
I don't know sources for this, because I don't study books that deal with questions like these. I'm sure that with a quick search you can find many sources. There are verses like "and you shall do what is right and good," and the whole book of Genesis. But why do you need sources at all? The one who says it is not binding is the one who needs a source (in the sense of: "why do I need a verse? It is logical!" ).
Thank you very much, Rabbi.
Sometimes I have discussions with people who don't accept ideas unless they have the "stamp of approval" of an authorized rabbi.
The argument was about another topic, except that it was connected to the issue of morality and Jewish law, and I didn't have ready-to-use quotations in my files. What can you do.
In the meantime I found a few more quotations; I'm posting them for the benefit of readers:
The idea that the Noahide commandments are based on morality and human reason, and that reason inclines toward them: see Maimonides, Laws of Kings, chapters 9 and 10; Chazon Ish, Bava Kamma 10:3; and a collection on the matter in the responsa Yad Hanoch, sec. 62.
The idea that there is a moral basis that obligates a Jew even before Jewish law: Rabbi Kook, Mitzvot Re'iyah, Choshen Mishpat sec. 1; Otsrot HaRe'iyah p. 220; responsa Orach Mishpat sec. 4; responsa Da'at Kohen p. 270.
This idea can also be found in Rabbi Shimon Shkop's definition at the beginning of the fifth gate in Sha'arei Yosher, according to which the laws of Choshen Mishpat are based on the legal obligation that preceded them, and that legal obligation is seemingly based on morality.