Q&A: A Decree the Public Cannot Uphold
A Decree the Public Cannot Uphold
Question
Hello, honored Rabbi,
You wrote in the latest article, "On Intellectualism, Greatness in Torah, and Wisdom," that there is a rule that one does not enact a decree that the public cannot uphold. That was said directly as an instruction to the sages. And you explained there that this is basically an expression of the fact that a sage needs to recognize reality and not bang his head against the wall, as unfortunately is done today.
But presumably this rule also applies to the Holy One, blessed be He Himself—meaning that the Torah's own laws, those of Torah-level / of biblical origin, should also meet the criterion that the public can uphold them.
But it seems that here too the public does not uphold them, from the days of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) until our own time. Maybe you would answer that some do uphold them, and that is enough?
Answer
Torah-level laws are essentially different from rabbinic laws, and not for nothing are they not subject to the rule of being accepted by the majority of the public. The reason is that the laws of the Torah are the truth, and even if the public does not observe them, that is still the truth. But rabbinic laws are not truth. They are a tool for social correction, and therefore one has to examine whether they do in fact bring about improvement and are suited to the world.
And one more comment. It is not correct that Torah laws were not accepted. Someone who does not believe and is not committed to Jewish law is not counted. He does not fail to observe them because it has not been absorbed by him, but because he does not believe in the whole system. That is an entirely different matter.
Just imagine: if the majority of the public does not believe in God, does that mean there is no God?!
True.
Thank you.