Judge by reality, not legality

Hi,

The following is from a 1965 letter sent by Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik to a young rabbi, regarding a business venture in which his congregation was engaged. The congregation was taking advantage of a legal loophole, and Rabbi Soloveitchik wrote:

"Needless to say, the high standards of Jewish morality demand that we judge situations in the light of their underlying reality rather than by the sheen of a superficial legality. They insist that we deal with essence rather than appearance, with legal realism rather than formalism, with concrete situation rather than abstract classifications."

(Community, Covenant and Commitment, page 158)

Have a great day,
Mordechai