272. Absolute Values

It seems the lesson is, if absolute value is absolutely objective, then it follows that there is the absolutely subjective. Is Torah the bridge?

There's a clever saying that Israel is the only country in the world where no one cares what rules say when an important goal can be achieved by bending them. I like this a lot, but keep in mind that there are some rules that must not be bent....EVER. If Israel has a gift for common sense, it's because G-d bestowed it in the first place. Like free will, we are expected to use it with discretion. And other times we must surrender to His alone.

Yes, Rabbi Freeman,-

beyond the subjective minds of men.

Alright there.

The question then is:

How much of what is understood about the Torah and the laws proscribed from it are the results of absolute values from G-d, and how much is the result of our subjective minds?

A short conversation I once had on the subject with a Jewish woman.

I won't mention her name here, but this woman is a well-known author of children's books.

I met her through relatives of mine, and in the course of the conversation she blurted out-'there are no absolutes and no absolute values".

My response was to ask her if she believed that absolutely.

Before she could respond in turn I pointed out to her that to exclaim that there were no absolutes and no absolute values was in itself an-

absolutist claim.

Is it an absolute truth that there are no absolutes?

If not then there are unquestionably absolutes.

This is a great revelation for me. Absolute values should be respected and followed.

Regards.

I think the absolute truth which governs the universe is that we ultimately get whatever we give (mida k’neged mida) therefore if we want to be treated with compassion, respect, & mercy then we have to treat everyone else with compassion, respect & mercy.

Julie – thank you. I understand & agree with what you write about the awakening which is occurring due to the collective consciousness, leading to the rebirth of humility and kindness, at a higher level, by understanding verses by rule.

This strikes me as kind of a dangerous teaching in a world without a strong leader. It was given by the Rebbe when he was with us, and able to correct our extremes via weekly sichos, letters and comments as we gave a dollar. But Orthodoxy has a nagging habit of placing raw halacha on a pedestal that should be reserved for G-d alone, and we have all seen the resultant perversions of Torah. Even in the days of Gemarra, the Rabbis had to instruct common sense, saying that, yes, you should save a drowning naked woman. That instruction was necessary because people made the laws of modesty so absolute that modesty became more important than saving a life. And (I believe) that Gemarra is a general teaching to use common sense, and to keep our priorities in balance.)

Chabad itself strikes a balance, something we see regularly. But to promote absolutes is worrisome in the hands of people prone to lose perspective, without a strong leader to correct errors.

My opinion!

There are 613 mitzvot in the Torah, and they occur throughout the Five Books of Moses. The first is to be fruitful and multiply. The ten commandments are only ten of them. Most of them pertain to the priests in the Temple. A few of them pertain only to women, and some pertain only to men. The ones about lovingkindness and tzdakah apply to everyone in the world. The especially Jewish ones that apply today are mostly about keeping Shabbos and keeping kosher. These are the ones which are inconvenient because they differ from the standards others keep. Well, Rabbi? Did I get that right? And nothing is said in the rabbi's post about peace. On the contrary, we have to be ready to fight, if necessary, for the right to do Gd's will, because if we just sit there, that will be taken for weakness and we will be attacked all the more. Did I get that right, Rabbi?

We need to obey the Ten Commandments, and teach them to our children, neighbors, friends, and anyone who will listen, to the absolute values, written in stone, by the hand of our Creator.