I understand that Jewish laws are valuable because they help us learn how to behave and improve ourselves and society.
“Values in Halakha” is by Rabbi Dr. Aharon Lichtenstein (1933-2015). He was an eminent rabbinic scholar and teacher who served as one of the heads of the famed prestigious Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel for over forty years. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University. He taught literature and Talmud at Yeshiva University in New York and started YU’s “Kollel,” where ordained rabbis continued their studies and was its head for a decade. He moved to Israel in 1971 and became the joint leader of Yeshivat Har Etzion for decades until his death. He published studies on Talmud and Jewish Law and Thought and was awarded the Israel Prize for Torah Literature in 1974. He continues to be considered by many rabbis and scholars as an intellectual and spiritual beacon light.
One of Aharon Lichtenstein’s goals in “Values in Halakha,” “Halakha” meaning Jewish Law,” is to show the values embedded within and emerging from Jewish teachings, values that improve individuals and society. He discusses six cases that rabbis needed to decide.
He tells readers about the contributions to Jewish teachings by the famed Rabbi Moshe Isserles (1525-1572). Isserles was frequently confronted with the apparent conflict of Halakha and the personal needs and desires of the person involved. The cases are fascinating, and how he resolved these matters and what it tells us about Halakha is enlightening. Among much else, Isserles decided that when Halakha gives the opinion of many rabbis, the decider in a case can choose against the majority opinion, which became the Halakha, and rule according to the view of the sole dissenter. In this chapter, he also discusses Humanism. What is it? He offers a definition. “Humanism is a worldview which values man highly.” Should Humanism impact Halakha?
Lichtenstein tells readers about Rabbi Ya’ir Hayim Bacharach (1638-1702), who, in analyzing a case, decided whether two conflicting groups could choose to compromise and not follow the Halakha. The issue is interesting, and his decision that the compromise in the case is improper tells us much about Halakha.
Rabbi Bacharach was also involved in a case of whether an individual needs to consider the public interest. A certain man was bankrupt and wanted to move to an area where he could gain profits. The non-Jewish leaders of the new site restricted the number of Jews. If he arrived, it would put the community in danger of various sanctions. May he immigrate to the new locale?
The fourth case involves the concept of Lifnim Mishurat Hadin, going beyond the line of the law. When, for example, the law allows something, such as keeping a found object in some cases, the finder should go beyond the law and return the thing to the former owner.
The fifth case focuses on when, if ever, Jewish authorities can force a reluctant Jew to do what is proper.
The sixth case analyses the responsibilities of recipients of charity. This subject is in the news today in America. Can the government insist that welfare recipients seek work and take it?
In short, Rabbi Lichtenstein’s analyses of six issues concerning Jewish Law not only sets fascinating cases before readers but also gives them a keener understanding of it.
I see the value in Jewish law, halakha. I like the dietary laws. But, I think, there are too many laws, 613 plus the thousands of rabbinical laws can feel like a burden to some people and this is why most Jews are rather atheists than theists. They don’t like practicing religion. There should have been fewer laws, less is more. And, some of the laws are rather silly. I heard a rabbi say that people go to hell if they walk on the beach during Shabbat with sandals because sand particles may get caught in between their foot and shoe and this constitutes “carrying.” This is nonsensical. But halakha has its positives. It has kept the Jewish identity alive in the diaspora. Many of the minor laws that seem irrelevant in introspection, such as which way to tie your shoe first or to kiss the mezuzot, have their value. They help remind us of God. Observing all the small details is like a man who bakes a birthday cake for his wife, and to show his love, has decorated the cake with her favorite colors. It shows effort and a greater commitment to Judaism.
I think that a lot of these rules were designed to make sure that no one feels they are perfect. No one feels like they’ve actually done all the rules. They’re designed so complex so we fail and, thus we have to be humble. Because we didn’t make all the goals. Therefore, you can’t judge other people and we can’t be high and mighty (“holier than thou”) and maybe that’s a way to combat all the elitism that might occur in a religion. We do not have to obey all of the rabbinical laws but we should live a proper life and still practice it in the goals of self and society improvement, in the spirit of the Torah. This is what God wants.
There are not 613 biblical laws. This was simply a sermon: we have to obey all that God wants us to obey every day (365) with our entire being (248). It adds up to 613. Rabbis knew that the number of biblical laws applicable to day is far smaller than 613. Maimonides listed what he thought could be counted among the 613 bblical law. If we look at what he listed, we will see that many are not applicable today. I am an Orthodox Jew. I do not feel that Orthodoxy is too burdensme. I feel that it encourages me to study about the world so that I improve and be all that I can be and help others.