Q&A: Consultation on a Torah-Based Reasoning
Consultation on a Torah-Based Reasoning
Question
A question. I’m writing an article for a Mifal HaPais article competition, and I’d like to consult with you about the reasoning I’m presenting (this does not violate the competition rules).
I’m writing about the topic of benefiting from an act done on the Sabbath (the subject is the Sabbath in the modern era), and my main claim is that it is permitted to watch a soccer game that was broadcast on the Sabbath already on Saturday night, without waiting the amount of time it would take to do it after the Sabbath, because unlike a classic case of benefiting from an act done on the Sabbath, in this case the prohibition will be committed regardless, and therefore all the rationales given for requiring that waiting period do not apply. What do you think? Is there room to forbid it because of the categorical imperative? Thank you very much.
Answer
The reasoning is בהחלט possible. However, the question of whether decrees are discussed in light of their rationales requires clarification in its own right.
As for the categorical imperative, I’m not sure it applies here, because a simplistic application of it would mean that you cannot punish a thief, since the general law is that nobody steals, and so on. If you assume that there are Sabbath violators even in the ideal situation in which the general law guides everyone, then there is no problem defining a general rule that if a game is broadcast in a way where the reasons to forbid do not apply, it may be watched.