Q&A: Motivation in the Service of God
Motivation in the Service of God
Question
Hello and blessings,
My question is based on two premises:
- All the answers I know to the question “Why observe God’s commandments?” are based, explicitly or implicitly, on the assumption that observing the commandments brings some kind of benefit to a person. After all, a person would not be willing to accept upon himself a system of laws that brings increased evil and suffering. (It seems to me that this is true even according to the Rabbi’s approach of “philosophical gratitude”).
- God created evil in the world.
In light of the second premise, why should I trust God that the system of laws He gave is for my benefit?
(A possible answer to this question would be a broad, long-term empirical examination of the effects of observing the commandments. It seems to me that such attempts have been made in recent generations, for example by Rabbi Sacks in “The Great Partnership.” But since we are dealing here with a very complex system, it is hard for me to see how one could reach a sharp empirical conclusion here.)
Answer
I do not agree with premise 1. Philosophical gratitude means precisely that there is no self-interest and not even any emotional obligation. Simply because that is what is right.
As for 2, the Holy One, blessed be He, did not create evil in the world. Search here on the site regarding human evil and natural evil.
Since both premises are incorrect, I am exempt from answering the question.
Discussion on Answer
Thank you!
Still, a question:
Would you continue to observe the commandments (“what is right”) even if it were clear to you that they bring evil into the world?
I don’t know. That would be a dilemma, but it’s a counterfactual question and not really well-defined. It’s like asking an American whether he would continue to support Biden if he were racist. He isn’t racist. If he were racist, then he wouldn’t be Biden but a different person with the same name.
How do you know that this is a counterfactual question?
How do you know it isn’t so?
(If the answer is found in the texts, a reference will of course suffice.)
Thank you.
Because God is good by definition. If you’re looking for verses about this, there are plenty. If you don’t believe that, then why believe in His very existence? I do accept it, and therefore this is counterfactual.
Several early authorities explicitly wrote that even if one would be punished for a commandment, the commandment still must be observed.