Q&A: The Meaning of Practical Jewish Law
The Meaning of Practical Jewish Law.
Question
Hello Rabbi, the accepted Jewish approach is that besides good intentions and high, important ideals, actions are also required—even tying the shoelaces on one’s shoes has to be done in a certain way.
I would be glad if the Rabbi could explain why this is our approach. Is it not enough to be good people? To keep what is written in the Torah and be moral people?
Someone told me that in Christianity, a person says to his wife, “I love you,” and it doesn’t matter in what wording or in what language.
But in Judaism, a person says, “For the sake of the unification… to fulfill the commandment of ‘and you shall love’ etc….” (Heaven forbid, I am not supporting Christianity.)
Something in the naturalness of life is harmed by the abundance of Jewish law and the meticulousness. Sometimes it seems pointless to descend to such low, irrelevant resolutions of life.
If the Rabbi has a line of thought on this, I would be glad to hear it, or if the Rabbi could direct me to a source.
Thank you very much.
Answer
0. Let me begin by saying that I do not like the term “our approach.” You decide about your approach, not I. And I decide about my approach, not you. There is no reason at all to think that we share an approach. If you do not accept this, then it is not your approach. You can ask what my approach is and ask me to explain it.
1. You managed to mix together four different questions here: a. You began by asking why actions are required and intentions are not enough. b. You continued by asking why commandments are required of us beyond moral conduct. c. Later you dragged in a third question about what is written in the Torah, apparently as opposed to additions of the sages. I did not understand that one at all. d. There is also a fourth question in your words: why details are required and general principles are not enough.
2. Why actions are required seems self-evident to me. Because we want things to happen, and intentions are not enough.
3. Why there are commandments beyond morality—see column 541.
4. Morality indeed does not require “for the sake of the unification.” But it does require moral intention. A moral act without intention is not a moral act (see columns 342, 353, and others). For a similar reason, commandments that are not moral in nature require intention for the sake of the commandment. Love of one’s fellow as a commandment requires “for the sake of the unification” of fulfilling the commandment “love your fellow as yourself,” and its fulfillment as a moral principle requires moral intention and not “for the sake of the unification,” just like with any gentile.
5. You assume that a natural life is best, and that is not so. A person should act according to intentions and out of thought, and not just go with the flow. Sheep just go with the flow. True, sometimes sticking to details causes one to lose common sense, and I have written about that more than once as well.
6. This is connected to the distorted view so widespread in our world, according to which one should conduct oneself based on emotion, and that conduct based on reason is cold, alienated, and not moral. This is nonsense that mainly leads to moral distortions. I have also written about that more than once (22, 259, 313, 605, and many others).
Discussion on Answer
Do you really think that the purpose of tying the right before the left is for the shoes to be tied? That is roughly like saying that the purpose of slaughter is for the animal to die, and the purpose of eating meat separately from milk is to be full. If this is feigned innocence, then allow me to keep feigning innocence too; it is hard to have a discussion at such a poor level of argument.
That is exactly the question—so what is the purpose of the act itself?
One thing is clear: the purpose is not the physical purpose that you mentioned. With Torah-level Jewish laws, I do not know what the purposes are. Apparently some kind of spiritual matters. With rabbinic laws, there are various kinds. Some are safeguards and decrees, and some are extensions of Torah-level law. Some are enactments whose purpose is self-evident (Hanukkah and Purim).
As I understand it, the purpose of the commandments is to conduct our lives according to God’s will, and thereby become spiritually elevated.
“What does the Holy One, blessed be He, care whether one slaughters from the neck or whether one slaughters from the back of the neck? Rather, the commandments were given only to refine people through them” (Bereishit Rabbah 44:1)
I am not the questioner, but I think the Rabbi’s answer dodges the issue.
The question was raised: why are actions required and intentions not enough?
And the answer:
2. “Because we want things to happen.”
What happens when you tie the left shoe before the right? In the end, the gentile’s shoes are tied too.
What happens when meat is slaughtered through the neck? In the end, the gentile’s animal is slaughtered too.
How does refraining from meat and milk help satisfy the stomach?
And what does Sabbath desecration create in the broader reality?