Q&A: Is a Moral Command Superfluous?
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Is a Moral Command Superfluous?
Question
If God Himself gave morality, and the purpose of the Torah is not to tell us moral things
then what is the point of the Torah commanding moral things such as “Do not murder,” for example? It neither adds nor detracts, since in any case we know that God wants us not to murder and that it is not something one should do.
Answer
I addressed this in my column on Jewish law and morality, no. 541.