World of Education/World of Education.iso/world_j/judeahlp.zip/THOUGHT.DIS

Text File | 1992-02-26 | 9KB | 215 lines

+QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS IN JEWISH THOUGHT
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Israel
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The Exodus
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Prophecy
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THE EXODUS
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The Punishment of the Egyptians
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Reminders of the Exodus
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*__Since the exile and slavery of the Jews in Egypt was
predicted, and was in fact part of G-d's covenant with
Abraham, it seems unjust for G-d to punish the Egyptians with
the 10 plagues, and drowning in the Red Sea. How is this
explained by the classical Jewish commentaries?
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1.The Egyptians still had freedom of choice.
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2.Slavery was decreed, torture was not.
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3.The Egyptians' motivation was wrong.
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*__Although the fact that the Jews would be exiled in Egypt
was predicted, nevertheless each Egyptian as an individual
still had the freedom to choose  whether to participate in
the oppression or not. G-d's Divine decree does not
necessarily remove the individual's free- will. (Maimonides)
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*__Slavery was indeed decreed by G-d, however the excessive
persecution of the Jews by the Egyptians was not, and hence
they were punished for their cruelty but not for the actual
enslavement. (Nachmanides)
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*__Had the Egyptians enslaved the Jews in order to fulfill
the Divine decree they would not have been punished. The
Egyptians intent in enslaving the Jews was for personal gain
and not for altruistic reasons.Thus even though their actions
were "legal", because their motivation was evil they deserved
punishment. (Nachmanides)
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*__There are many Torah commandments with the stated purpose
of reminding us of the Exodus from Egypt (Tefilin, Mezuzah, Matzah,
Maror, Hagadah, etc.). Why is it necessary to have so many actions
in order to remind us of one event?
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1. If one commandment is not fulfilled there are always others as "backups".
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2. Thoughts are influenced by actions.
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3. Belief in the Exodus is one of the foundations of Judaism.
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*__Incorrect. This does not explain why the Exodus is singled out for
"spare parts" more than other concepts, neither does it explain the
existence of the more than 20 commandments which commemorate the Exodus.
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*__The human mind is influenced by actions. A gentle person forced
to participate in cruel activities will eventually become more callous,
and similarly a cruel person forced to participate in acts of kindness
will eventually become kinder.
*__The many commandments dealing with the Exodus deepen our understanding
of it through actions that symbolize various aspects of the event
and its Providential nature (Sefer Hachinuch).
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*__Correct. The Exodus, as it is described in the Torah, illustrates graphically
many of the most fundamental of Jewish beliefs; Divine Providence,
reward and punishment, free-will, prophecy, social justice, and the
unique relationship between G-d and the Jewish people.
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PROPHECY
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Verification
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Prophecy and Law
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*__How do we know who is a prophet?
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1.He demonstrates supernatural knowledge of the future.
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2.He is a pious Torah scholar and claims to be a prophet.
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3.He has deep spiritual experiences communing with G-d.
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*__If everything he predicts comes true, without exception,
then we accept him as a prophet because the Torah commands us
to.
*__Performance of miracles,in and of itself, does not prove
that he is really a prophet. (Of course, if he contradicts
the Torah, then we know he is lying, since we only accept him
in the first place by the authority of the Torah).
(Maimonides)
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*__If such a person claims prophecy, and what he commands in
G-d's name has clear religious value, then he can be accepted
as authentic. (Rashi)
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*__A claim based on these experiences is not accepted, for a
number of reasons: First, how do we know what he experiences?
We have to trust him about the experiences, but it is
precisely his credibility which is in question! Second, how
do we know that he is experiencing G-d, rather than merely
having a vivid, personal experience, with no connection to
reality at all?
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*__If a prophet ventures an opinion in Jewish law based on prophecy
is his opinion accepted?
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1. Yes, it is.
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2. No, it is not.
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*__This is incorrect. The purpose of prophecy is only to rebuke, warn and
otherwise improve the behaviour of the people to whom the prophet was sent.
He has no greater authority than any other sage in determining
matters of Jewish law.
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*__Correct. The Talmud relates that Rabbi Yehoshuah was confronted
by another sage who supported his opposing view by "miracles"
and by a voice from heaven. Rabbi Yehoshuah's reply to this was "It
(the Torah) is not in heaven!", and that the Torah's methodology
for determining Halachah is based on a majority vote of the sages.
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ISRAEL
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The Central Role of the Land of Israel
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The Mitzvah of Living in Israel
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*__Why does the Land of Israel play a central role in Judaism?
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1. Israel was the location of most events in the Tanach (Pentateuch,
Prophets and Writings).
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2. The Torah was given in the Land of Israel.
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3. Prophecy requires the Land of Israel.
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*__The Patriarchs and Matriarchs lived in Israel and were buried
there. It was an intrinsic part of the covenant between G-d and
Abraham. The books of Joshua, Judges, Kings and the Prophets center
around events in Israel and the two Temples existed there for 830
years.
*__The Jewish people lived in Israel for over 1200 years and
maintained a continuous presence even during Exile. Present renewal of
Jewish life in Israel continues a 3,500 year connection between a
people and their land.
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*__This is incorrect, the Torah was in fact given in the Sinai Desert,
which is not part of Israel. The Torah was deliberately given in a
desolate, uninhabited area to demonstrate that it does not belong to
any one person.
*__It was also given before the Jews inherited Israel, as the purpose
of receiving the land was the fulfillment of the Torah.
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*__Correct. Every country has unique spiritual characteristics.
Israel is the land conducive to the development of prophecy.
*__All of the Prophets either received prophecies in Israel, or
related to it. For example, Abraham's only prophecy outside Israel
was the command to go there; Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel received
their first prophecies in Israel, and their prophecies outside Israel
were related to the Exile, and to the Return. (Kuzari)
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*__Why does Maimonides not count living in Israel as one
of the 613 commandments?
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1. The Mitzvah is too central to be counted individually.
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2. His computer had a virus.
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3. After the Exile the Mitzvah ceased to be obligatory.
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*__Correct. Living in Israel adds a new dimension to the observance of every
command (Nachmanides). Most of the commandments are only
applicable when the majority of the Jewish people are in Israel, and they
can only be a "light unto the nations" when living in Israel according
to the Torah (Kuzari). Due to the universal nature of this Mitzvah
it cannot be counted as an individual commandment (R.Kook).
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*__Maimonides' computer NEVER had a virus!
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*__Correct. Some commentaries maintain that after the Babylonian Exile the Mitzvah
was no longer applicable, as the commandment was limited to the original
conquest of the land under Joshua, the prophets and King David.
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