Who is the author of Mitzvah [commandments]? asked Rabbi Herman E Schaalman, in (1). According to some people, he wrote, "the authority of the 'commandment' resides in the people;" they claim that mitzvot are the customs created by our sages. Such an answer would be sufficient, he continues, if "Jews were like any other people." Why is it so? In which way are Jews different? Unfortunately, this question is not answered by the Rabbi, to my satisfaction. He refers to the Hebrew language, with which I am not familiar.
But I do know how Spinoza, a 17th century Jewish theologian (2), would answer this question. Spinoza wrote: "By God's direction I mean the fixed and unchanging order of Nature ... so it is the same thing whether we say that all things happen according to Nature's laws or that they are regulated by God's decree and direction." Spinoza would say that people are part of nature, and that desirable ways of behavior, described by sages, were also described by God. Many theological contradictions would disappear if Spinoza's defintion of God were universally accepted. Do you agree?
Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
References
1) "Gates of Mitzvah: A Guide to the Jewish Life Cycle;" edited by Simeon J. Maslin, Central Conference of American Rabbis, New York, 1979
2) Steven Nadler, "Judging Spinoza," The New York Times, Opinion Pages, May 25 2014.
Also in http://opinionator blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/judging-spinoza/
God's commandments are ...
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kowalskil
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God's commandments are ...
Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia) is the author of a FREE ON-LINE autobiography, entitled “Diary of a Former Communist: Thoughts, Feelings, Reality.”
//csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/life/intro.html
It is a testimony based on a diary kept between 1946 and 2004 (in the USSR, Poland, France and the USA).
The more people know about proletarian dictatorship the less likely will we experience it.
//csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/life/intro.html
It is a testimony based on a diary kept between 1946 and 2004 (in the USSR, Poland, France and the USA).
The more people know about proletarian dictatorship the less likely will we experience it.
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Starhunter
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Re: God's commandments are ...
Have not read enough of Spinoza to know quite what he means, and what he sees as boundaries to that view.
Natural law and Divine law are from the same Author, so I would have to answer yes, I agree.
As far as theological contradictions are concerned, this view would remove a lot of nonsense, and bring back sanity, a connection with nature and God, and a very high standard of living.
The whole Jewish economy and mindset was, and perhaps still is, centered on man's relationship with the earth - the seed-time and harvest etc, and the Jewish calender is based on the activities of the land, tied in with the ceremonial year of the Sanctuary service. So the physical and spiritual worlds were blended into one tangible and practical pursuit.
Philosophically they talk about action and consequence, planning/sowing and reaping, abiding by the rules of nature such as allowing the land to fallow, and the divine laws of God governing the behavior of human beings on all levels.
And on top of that synergy, is the great God who supports and nurtures nature and people through that cooperation.
I think their system is the most superior system of civilization in the world in all time. The economy was the most inclusive and diverse, and successful of all types of living standards, from hunter gatherer to city planner. And yet it never reached or maintained its potential, because of backsliding and idolatry.
Natural law and Divine law are from the same Author, so I would have to answer yes, I agree.
As far as theological contradictions are concerned, this view would remove a lot of nonsense, and bring back sanity, a connection with nature and God, and a very high standard of living.
The whole Jewish economy and mindset was, and perhaps still is, centered on man's relationship with the earth - the seed-time and harvest etc, and the Jewish calender is based on the activities of the land, tied in with the ceremonial year of the Sanctuary service. So the physical and spiritual worlds were blended into one tangible and practical pursuit.
Philosophically they talk about action and consequence, planning/sowing and reaping, abiding by the rules of nature such as allowing the land to fallow, and the divine laws of God governing the behavior of human beings on all levels.
And on top of that synergy, is the great God who supports and nurtures nature and people through that cooperation.
I think their system is the most superior system of civilization in the world in all time. The economy was the most inclusive and diverse, and successful of all types of living standards, from hunter gatherer to city planner. And yet it never reached or maintained its potential, because of backsliding and idolatry.