Q&A: A Paradox in the Jewish God
A Paradox in the Jewish God
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I found a problem with the Jewish God that I don’t know how to answer, and I’d be glad if the Rabbi could help me.
On the one hand, there’s no reason to say that God wants us to perform commandments. Even if we say He exists, He is supposed to be so much greater than us (infinitely so) that He would gain nothing from our performing His commandments.
On the other hand, if we say that for some reason He does want us to perform His commandments, why doesn’t He obligate all human beings? Why does the Jewish God obligate only Jews in commandments?
Both sides seem problematic to me, and I’d be glad if the Rabbi could resolve this problem for me.
Answer
I see no point in dealing with the intentions of the Holy One, blessed be He. I am not up to it. If you accept that there is a tradition that obligates us in commandments, then that is the situation even if you do not understand why. If you do not accept the tradition, then even without these metaphysical analyses the conclusion is clear.
Discussion on Answer
No, it’s not like that. We have no way of understanding His motives, goals, and considerations, and therefore this is a valueless discussion. So the decision has to be made on the basis of your attitude to the tradition, as I wrote.
Why don’t we have any way to understand? For example, I understood that you think He wants people to choose the good, and then he brings into actuality his potential for self-perfection and becomes perfect also through perfecting himself.
As for the first part, there are lots of styles of answers, like Ramchal and The Kuzari II, for example, no?
You could also ask the same question about animals: why did He create animals, after all they have no commandments at all?
Maybe He creates diversity 🙂
According to the Masoretic text, the hare chews the cud, but in the Septuagint it says the opposite—that it does not chew the cud. The hyrax does not appear and is replaced by the rabbit, and it too does not chew the cud. One can argue that this is a corruption that did not appear in the original text of the Bible.
Though it is more reasonable to assume that the translators of the Bible had a Hellenistic education and understood zoology, and corrected the mistake.
The same with the value of pi: the Septuagint gives a fairly accurate approximation of pi, whereas according to the Masoretic text its value is exactly 3. But in this case there is stronger basis for saying that the translators were proficient in the mathematics of their time.
In the Christian world, these arguments do not come up at all in discussions with atheists. I wonder what other textual versions say, like the Qumran text.
It is also possible that in the original text the hyrax and the hare were not mentioned; only at a later period did the priests give examples, and they apparently made a mistake.
But in the end all these excuses are apologetics.
With God's help, 18 Elul 5781
The God of Israel explained clearly before the revelation at Mount Sinai the uniqueness of the people of Israel in relation to all humanity, saying: “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” The children of Israel are the “priests” who bring to all humanity the faith of the Torah and its basic values, embodied in the “seven Noahide commandments”: not to worship idols, not to steal, commit adultery, or murder, and not to be barbarians who eat “a limb from a living animal.”
As “priests of the Lord,” Israel is commanded in a system of commandments that demands from them extra care both in matters between man and his fellow man (returning lost property, the prohibition of interest, tithes, the Sabbatical year and Jubilee, and the like) and in extra care regarding matters of holiness (for example, dietary prohibitions) and closeness to God. The unique role of the people of Israel obligates it not merely “to be decent,” but to excel in “doing justice and loving kindness,” and at the same time to “walk humbly with your God” (and in the language of the Sages: bashful, merciful, and doers of kindness).
Through carefully lived conduct of holiness and constant closeness to God, the children of Israel prepare themselves to radiate the spirit of the Torah to all humanity, to educate humanity through the personal example of a noble way of life.
With blessings, Amiyoz Yaron Schnitzler
I remember an article (I think by Professor Benjamin Oppenheimer) that showed that in Akkadian the meaning of “segel” is “vassal,” a local ruler who represents the king, the central ruler. And on that basis he explained God’s words, “and you shall be to Me a treasured people from among all the nations,” meaning that we will be the “vassals” of the King of kings of the world, representing Him before all the nations.
With blessings, Eliam Fish"l Workheimer
In line 1
… who showed that in Ugaritic the meaning of “segulat” is “vassal,” …
Article details:
Benjamin Oppenheimer, “Segulah,” Beit Mikra 22 (1977), pp. 427–434.
That’s like saying there’s no point in investigating the defendant’s motive: if he seems guilty then he’s guilty even if the motive is unknown, and if he seems not guilty then even if there is a motive the conclusion is clear.
But the absence of a motive raises the concern that maybe we made a mistake in the diagnosis and the defendant isn’t guilty.
So too here, the question is whether these metaphysical analyses reduce the likelihood that God really commanded commandments, and only to Jews.