Q&A: Platonism 26
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Platonism 26
Question
In Platonism 26, the Rabbi said that we have never heard of a rabbi who ruled in practice like Maimonides, that in order not to hear gossip one would have to go out to the wilderness, and that Maimonides also did not mean this as a practical ruling, for the simple reason that the Torah is meant to be implemented in this life as it is.
So what, exactly, does the Jewish law that Maimonides wrote mean?
Answer
First of all, this is not Jewish law. Second, where is the Jewish law actually implemented—and this one really is Jewish law—of the wayward and rebellious son, or of the idolatrous city? There are statements whose purpose is educational, not practical.