Risking the lives of soldiers to spare civilians on the other side

Hi,

Thoughts on war:

Rabbi Avraham Shapira, War and Ethics, Techumin 4, pg. 182:
When there is no substantive risk to our soldiers, there is no permission to strike lives or property. However, when there is a discernible risk, one must remember that it is not only a matter of weighing one unit opposite a civilian population on the scale. The loss of one unit, or part of it, can affect the entire battle…

Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, Ethics and War, Techumin 4, pg. 185:
The price [of war] is also paid by the enemy, who is also graced with the Divine image, and one should grieve whenever Gd's creations drown in the sea. On this point, the issue of quantity is meaningful, and one certainly must weigh the justifications for harming many in order to save an individual.

Hoping for better news,
Mordechai

Ethics beyond Halachah

Hi,

"If, however, we recognize that Halakhah is multiplanar and many dimensional; that, properly conceived, it includes much more than is explicitly required or permitted by specific rules, we shall realize that the ethical moment we are seeking is itself an aspect of Halakhah."

(R’ Aharon Lichtenstein, Does Judaism Recognize an Ethic Independent of Halakhah?)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Natural Morality

Hi,

"Rabbi Yochanan said: Had the Torah not been given, we would have learned privacy from the cat, [the impropriety of] theft from the ant and fidelity from the dove."

(Talmud, Eruvin 100b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Teaching our children moral sensitivity

Hi,

"The task before us is multifaceted. As those who educate towards yirat Shamayim, we must communicate the message of the akeida—boldly, loudly and clearly. On the other hand, as those who do seek to ingrain moral sensitivity in ourselves and in our children, we need not dismiss the ambivalences, the difficulties and contradictions (at the initial level, surely). We need not wish away Avraham’s three days of spiritual groping. We need not dismiss the wrestling and grappling as being a reflection of poor yirat Shamayim, of spiritual shallowness, or of a lack of frumkeit. Inasmuch as goodness itself is an inherent component of frumkeit, the goodness which is at the root of the problems, struggles and tensions is itself part of yirat Shamayim—and a legitimate part. If the sense of moral goodness is legitimate, then the questing and the grappling are also legitimate."

(Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, Being Frum and Being Good: On the Relationship Between Religion and Morality, http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/develop/06develop.htm)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Law leads to morality

Hi,

I know this one will be controversial, but it's a fascinating assertion, with great basis in Jewish tradition:

"Careful observance of law is the only path to perfection of morality."

(Chazon Ish, Emunah UBitachon)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

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