Question. Concerning are the gemarot that encourage deception and having different
standards for Jews and non-Jews. I would be glad if you can provide me any kind of justification
for the very clear bigoted and hateful talk. The supremacist view. Etc. Is this ostensibly for the betterment of the world that we
should be skilled in the arts of double speak and deception? Is that how you [think people ought] to be brought up and taught or does
this register for you differently or not at all. Does our treatment at the hands of the Egyptians justify? Are we
a race that is attempting evolve past the human state? The logic of eisav soneh et yaakov makes it so that immediately
when a Jew leaves the faith he must be deceived and hated as well. There is no
middle ground. Either eisav or yaakov. These doctrines are written in stone in
the haredi world. You either justify it and live it or you're against. Am i right or wrong? Maybe it's a sacred evil... [The curiosity for] Evil leads to evil. Anyway. Trying to
understand difference between evil and selfishness vs chaos vs natural action
based upon healthy desire and communion with nature vs service to money vs
child sacrifice what all these concepts actually mean in today's world. Who
really deserves to live? Whom does God take pride in etc.
And this infects the religious world as much or more so than the secular world.
The big answers for these questions are not clear to me Except to say as Breslov says " I need to look at myself" Why talk about others?" That is from the story of the Simpleton and the wise son.
And so to answer these kinds of questions I have tried to pinpoint the areas that I need to work on. These areas are two fold. One set are things that I am aware i did wrong-so I need to correct. Another set is areas that simply are obligations.
In sum I see Learning Torah as important. But I think the frum religious world does not represent Torah. I think objective morality depends on input from Torah and Reason as many rishonim held.
What
is it the Jewish God specifically hates about the world and its morality? Are
we bound to the will of this God or are we simply inextricably illogically
bound? What happens if you test this God and say no?
Of course this is not a complete answer. The religious world is not very menschlich [decent]. But so what is the answer? Rav Nahman said the Evil Inclination has evolved. It has become the power of delusion."Dimyon".
My answer: Very important questions. My answer is more or less based on the
idea that the mizvot are to bring to objective morality which is recognizable by reason. Therefore,
in anything that conflicts with objective morality, they are not valid. You can
see this in particular in R Shimon Ben Yohai who holds that
there are reasons for the mizvot and they are recognizable by reason
and so when there is a conflict they are not valid.
In other words the Rishonim do not hold from Divine Command Theory. That is the theory that mizvot are good in themselves. No rishon holds that because the gemara itself does not hold it. The Mitzvot are to bring to natural law.
In other words the Rishonim do not hold from Divine Command Theory. That is the theory that mizvot are good in themselves. No rishon holds that because the gemara itself does not hold it. The Mitzvot are to bring to natural law.
And this infects the religious world as much or more so than the secular world.
The big answers for these questions are not clear to me Except to say as Breslov says " I need to look at myself" Why talk about others?" That is from the story of the Simpleton and the wise son.
And so to answer these kinds of questions I have tried to pinpoint the areas that I need to work on. These areas are two fold. One set are things that I am aware i did wrong-so I need to correct. Another set is areas that simply are obligations.
In sum I see Learning Torah as important. But I think the frum religious world does not represent Torah. I think objective morality depends on input from Torah and Reason as many rishonim held.
