Q&A: Commandments Grounded in Reason
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Commandments Grounded in Reason
Question
Why are there commandments that can also be understood on the basis of reason? Do not murder, the obligation to keep an oath, etc.
After all, even if they had not been commanded to us, we would still be obligated to keep them. What, then, is the point of the command?
Answer
The command adds another religious layer to these commandments, beyond the moral one. Incidentally, their parameters also differ from those of the moral prohibition. For example, in the case of murder, you can do it in ways for which you would not be liable on the religious level, but it would be no less wicked on the moral level. See Column 15.