Q&A: On Morality and Jewish Law
On Morality and Jewish Law
Question
Hello Rabbi,
In the third book of the trilogy, the Rabbi argues that morality and Jewish law are two separate things, and if I have a conflict between them then I have the option of choosing morality or Jewish law.
However, I didn’t understand how it’s even possible to talk about morality at all. It seems to me that the definition of this concept is so vague that at best one could say it is a social convention. And that, of course, does not obligate all of humanity.
What is the Rabbi’s definition of the concept of “morality”?
Answer
I explained it there, and also in the third part of the fourth discussion in the first book (the fourth notebook here on the site).
It is not a vague concept at all. There are disagreements at the margins, but most of it is agreed upon and completely clear. One might think that in Jewish law or in law there are no disagreements. Usually there are more than in morality. That is regarding what counts as a moral act. But your question concerns the validity of morality, not its scope. About that I would say that if, from your perspective, it is only a social convention—then you simply do not recognize the validity of morality, and it is doubtful to what extent there is an obligation to uphold it.