Q&A: Morality and Jewish Law
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Morality and Jewish Law
Question
Rabbi Yohanan said: Jerusalem was destroyed only because they based their conduct strictly on Torah law and did not go beyond the letter of the law.
Could it be that he held, as you do, that there is a disconnect between morality and Jewish law?
From a Torah perspective, you treated one another excellently, one hundred percent, but from a moral perspective you did not, and therefore Jerusalem was destroyed because of you.
Answer
Maybe. But going beyond the letter of the law is not necessarily morality. Sometimes it means preserving the spirit of the Jewish law beyond mere formalism.
Discussion on Answer
See Nachmanides’ comments at the beginning of the chapter Kedoshim.
And also in my article on terumah and challah.
Rabbi, can you give a short example of what it means to “preserve the spirit of the Jewish law beyond mere formalism”?