What was the text of Dan Galilee's Wikianswers article on the principles of Judaism?

Answer 1

This article will briefly touch upon some of the beliefs and principles of Judaism and how these principles function within the Torah.

Relative importance of Torah-Commands

Judaism holds that the Torah is eternal, including its laws, its ethics and its beliefs. The rabbis treated moral/ethical and ritual commandments with equal respect. Rabbinical Judaism, whose main record of tradition is contained in the Talmud, takes a unified view of the halakhic (Torah-law) system, according to which no greater intrinsic importance is place on any one mitzvah (Torah-commandment) over another.

How is the Torah interpreted?

The legal methodology of Midrash Halakha, whereby the rabbis have ruled upon new questions basing themselves on Torah-verses and ancient precedents, is based on thirteen rules of scriptural interpretation (these can be found in the Hebrew prayerbook, right before the Baruch She'amar prayer in the morning service). As a consequence, halakha (law) derives from an ongoing process of Biblical exegesis that is tempered by previous accepted practice.

The authority of Halakha

In Jewish tradition there is no independent source outside of the halakha (the laws of the Torah). Though many explanations may be given concerning each mitzva (command), at the fundamental level the laws of the Torah should be obeyed because they reflect the will of God (Talmud, Berakhot 33b).

The scholarly approach to halakha begins, of course, with the words of the Torah itself, which contains (for example) prohibitions against killing, injuring, endangering, causing monetary or property damages, stealing, slandering, coveting, adultery, cruelty to animals, and interfering with nature's course. The Torah also includes the positive injunctions to love God, love the stranger, love your fellow as yourself, pursue justice, feed and clothe the needy, practice kindness, etc.

Such Biblical principles led the Prophets and the rabbis to an overarching affirmation of the sanctity and dignity of human life, the respect for and kindness to all of God's creatures, and a general deference to natural law as a reflection of the Divine plan.

Torah-ethics in practice

Jewish ethicists today vary in their approaches to handling thorny moral issues. Orthodox ethicists rely on rabbinic legal precedent as the authoritative source for deciding controversial moral and ethical questions. In this, they differ from Reform Jewish ethicists, who do not feel as bound by classical rabbinic halakha.

For one example, when discussing organ transplants, Jewish ethicists do not refer to theological questions about the nature of the human soul, body or organs. Rather they turn to rabbinic codes and responsa that discuss, in a legal and medically practical vein, issues of endangering or preserving life. In such cases, Judaism is not as concerned with abstract theology, as it is with the pragmatic questions of how to fulfill the laws of God, including areas of belief, morals and faith, as well as the day-to-day commands.

See also:

Jewish ethics

Jewish beliefs