For humankind to exist in harmony, we must listen to the voice that Noah heard after the flood.
We must accept that there is a set of absolute values set by the Creator of the world, values that we cannot play with to suit our convenience.
Values from beyond the subjective minds of men.
This is so true, and so important to remember. Sometimes in our culture at this time, we see opinions given as absolutes...and that may prove so destructive. Values given to us by our Creator are just, true, and unchangeable. They guide our lives, and will guide the lives of all future generations.
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This is the best 'Daily Dose' I've heard. Reply
One Value
There exists only one value:
"Love thy friend as thyself"
The whole of the Torah, Zohar and holy books only expresses the details of this single value.
How to rise above self interest, our differences for the sake of re-creating the soul.
All humanity comprise one system.
We are all interconnected and interdependent.
- We are all responsible for each other.
We need to recognize that our egoistic relationships will not work anymore. The new global world demands us to interact as one system. We have no option but to shift to a new mindset:
"Love thy friend as thyself"
- Then with G_d's help we will reach a new level of existence, worthy to belong to His world, with His Light flowing between us sustaining the system to function eternally.
Abraham, Moses, the other Kabbalists implemented this one value with success.
Our time demands us to follow these sages.
Hope we can realize this soon. Otherwise natural disasters, epidemics, and war will force us to "Love thy friend as thyself"
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Absolute.... JOY 'n' DELIGHT about all His Creation especially in the present moment. No more than a brief sadness for loss; but then soon again, joy and delight for all that is now. Reply
Creation in nature I may not be as Jewish as you or Ectstein, or Wiseburger, or Silversteinman, but I visit our creator in nature and I see creation in nature in my dad's eyes from my youth going hunting, fishing, and camping with him and for me this is quality time. And we are part of the creation. Reply
To Lenny Levenberg Lenny, scroll down in the comments to my past listing the articles about the Laws of Noah. Reply
Daily Dose - Absolute Values When they speak of values beyond the mind of man, i assume the 10 Commandments? If not, then of what are they speaking? Reply
Absolutely It seems the lesson is, if absolute value is absolutely objective, then it follows that there is the absolutely subjective. Is Torah the bridge? Reply
bending rules and surrendering to His 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. Reply
Subjective minds.
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?
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A question of absolute
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.
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Great Revelation!
This is a great revelation for me. Absolute values should be respected and followed.
Regards.
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clarification
The Rebbe was speaking about the laws of Noah. Here are some links with more information on that:
Universal Morality http://www.chabad.org/62221
The Discovery of Planet Earth http://www.chabad.org/1313
Seven Universal Laws http://www.chabad.org/132930
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mida k'neged mida
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.
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Absolutes: a recipe for imbalance?
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!
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Mitzvot 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? Reply
Absolute Values 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. Reply
tis true, but.... tis true, but there is also a collective consciousness, an awakening that is occurring, and i think humility and kindness are being borne anew.. at a higher level. by understanding verses by rule. Reply
Pursuing
I thought u were going 2 say nothing is greater than peace. Even if u r 100% right & the other is 100% wrong u can still give in for the sake of peace because a difficult peace is better than an easy quarrel. [we must give peace if we want to recieve it because we get what we give] & I thought u would say that because the Rebbe said that when a person has an affinity for a particular mitzva u shouldn't argue with them. But regardless:
"It's good."
"How is it good? He does nothing but drink beer & watch TV all day."
"You're right. It's not good, but compared 2 what he was doing before it is good PROGRESS. And if he has made this much progress, imagine how much more progress he can make." Imagine the possibilities. Look for the potential. What have I become & what can I become? What was I? What am I? What can I become? I'm going to look for the potential, note my goal, keep my eye firmly planted on my goal & then walk toward my goal 1 careful step at a time.
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Yes. Having read this again and considered the Book Of Job--who was waiting on the G_d that was higher than heaven and deeper than hell, I feel it more. It describes the meaning of "relativity" so well. Also, humility: recognizing one's human capacity. At this time, it's my favorite Book.