Judaism |
Kislev 5, 5770 / November 22, '09 | |
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Published: 11/09/09, 11:43 AM
Personal Choiceby Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple What if I don't want to obey the commandments? Question Answer Your possibly rebellious feelings are not necessarily the only criterion. Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, a leading Israeli rosh yeshivah, says: "Conventional morality holds that anyone and everyone is entitled to do as he pleases provided that he steps on no one else's toenails; that, as master of his self, he is free to mould his own destiny. Halachah is radically opposed to this attitude; it holds that even with respect to his own personality, man is more trustee than master.... The whole of halachah is grounded in profound faith in man's capacity to choose freely and to chart his own course. It is precisely this faith which makes the stress upon duty - the incessant call to respond to commands - possible. Halachah grants man less but believes in him more." The crucial element is that though the Divine command comes from above, man freely and voluntarily responds to it. Cheshvan 22, 5770 / 09 November 09
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