Saturday, February 9, 2008
The Ten Commandments and Laws
After reading the ten commandments and the other laws that are given in the torah, to me it is much like a reading a handbook for a lifestyle than anything else. Many of the laws are about creating a "meal" so to speak so that it is holy in the eyes of God, as well as rules about governing ones self with others. These laws seem like guidelines as to how to be holy in the eyes of God and make ones self like him (which in the end is the ultimate goal I guess). However, the thing about these laws is that they can be very hard to follow at times. I mean when you are growing up its hard to not want to disrespect your parents (its a natural tendency I think for most), it also seems like the laws are challenges for the israelites to see if they can really live up to the image of God. The laws may seem simple but when you look closely at ones day to day life, I think that it would be really hard to constantly follow the ten commandments!
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3 comments:
Really? Is it that hard not to kill, steal, or commit adultery? On the other hand, coveting, honoring one's parents, lying, not observing the Sabbath, not putting other "gods" before God are a lot easier to slip into. Maybe you do have a point here. ;-)
You referred to the Ten Commandments a “handbook to a lifestyle”. I say, Judaism is a lifestyle; a lifestyle fit for only those who are chosen. As a society, and as humans in general, we are a people who seek instant gratification. Giving in to our desires is representative of the religion of consumerism. We consume, that is what we do best. A wise man once said (and I paraphrase) ‘extinguish desire and you will reach enlightenment’. The wise man was Buddha, and this is a principle component to the study Buddhism. The study of Buddhism focuses on personal development, essentially living a healthy lifestyle. Religions, in general contain some sort of “ethical handbook” paving a way for believers to live through the principles of a chosen religion. Judaism provides many doctrinal and ethical teachings, including that of the Ten Commandments. It seems as though you view the Ten Commandments as a commitment to God, an effort to be holy in his/her eyes. In any situation of commitment, it is easier to live by standards which you value, rather than standards set forth for you. If these standards, in this case “commandments”, are truly internalized then there should be no problem abiding by them. While I have much more opinions to express I will save them for further posts; I have greatly enjoyed expressing myself to the class I hope someone will take the time to read it. Thanks,
-Andrew Noah Freid
Andrew,
Responding to what you said
"it is easier to live by standards which you value, rather than standards set forth for you" - it depends on what you want the quality of your relationship to be with the person or institution who is setting the standards for you. In other words, why might I choose someone else's standards (or values)? For example, if I view somebody as a role model, wouldn't it follow that I'd want to adopt at least some of her or his standards and values? Sure, they become mine when I internalize them, but am I internalizing them only because I think they're good standards, or am I in a sense trying to internalize that "significant other" person her- or himself? That's why I am am constantly using the analogy of a love relationship for how classical Judaism views its relationship to the Torah and the Person behind the Torah (whose "voice" is the Torah, according the essay by Gershom Scholem in the readings.
In other words, don't we often shape our lifestyles to the feelings, values, expectations, yes, even standards of our significant others? Is it really such a bad thing to take some of our life "cues" from others, especially if we really love and respect them?
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