Q&A: Doing what is true because it is true
Doing what is true because it is true
Question
Hello Rabbi,
What obligates me with respect to the divine command? Seemingly, the only reason I have to keep the commandments is self-interest—repairing the world, and reward and punishment. What besides that interest obligates me?
Thank you very much.
Answer
You need to distinguish between two different questions:
What obligates you is that this is the truth (that this is the right way to act. Perhaps it also repairs the world in some way—spiritually or physically).
Why do it? That is already a personal matter. If the truth does not interest you, then perhaps fear of punishment and hope for reward. Or simply connection to the people and its culture. Habits. Everyone has his own shticks. And one semantic note: I would not call repairing the world an interest.
Discussion on Answer
If you ask me why one should do a moral act, I would answer: because it is moral (that is the moral truth). So too when you ask why one should perform a commandment, I would answer: because it is a commandment (that is the religious truth; there is a religious obligation to obey the Holy One, blessed be He). There is no further explanation for such a fundamental question. If you like, call it a first principle / axiom. But the axiom is not arbitrary; rather, it is self-evidently true (and requires no explanation).
What is meant by "that this is the right way to act"—right in what sense? Is this simply a self-evident first principle, an axiom?