Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Genealogy list versus story
I was just thinking about what we had covered this week in chumash class when I had a thought. Adam knew that his mate had to be Btzelem Elokim- in the image of G-d. He also knew what his tasks were- to follow the mitzvot, to work the land, to rule over the animals, etc. But when man and woman are confronted by the conniving snake, they can't seem to make the correct decisions. They knew when everything was ok what they hada to do, but under pressure, they wavered. They hid from G-d and thought He could not see them,they doubt His authority, they start blaming each other for everything, etc.,and the story seems to go downhill from there. This same mindset is still true for people today. When life is great, so is their observance/ character/ etc. When there is the slightest hint of pressure , people tend to not be so steadfast to their morals that they otherwise "stick steadfastly true to". This just makes me think: at times like that shouldn't these morals be that much more important? However, this idea apparently does not occur to many people during such times. Interesting, isn't it? Something to think about.
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ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Emma. Just to add to what she already said, what about the times when there is pressure due to religious beliefs? What about the various Jews all over the world who were oppressed, hurt, killed, and expelled because of their Judaism? Many tried to convert in order to save themselves but failed. It stands to reason that people stand by their beliefs when it is not life threatening. If your life depended on it, would you leave your beliefs behind?
ReplyDeleteAlso,it seems a bit unfair to judge people because of what they do in a moment of danger or pressure. Yes, people slip up. That is, after all, what repentance is for. If a person sins because they make the wrong decision, they should be given the chance to repent and change their ways.
I agree with Emma and Sarah. I don't think people should be judged during moments of pressure. In difficult moments people are not known to act in the way they normally would if everything was going well. At the same time though, these should not be the times in which we decide to forget about our morals. Because when everything is said and done we're going to remember what we did and we can either be proud or embarassed.
ReplyDeleteAlso, in response to Sarah's first (part of her) comment, when a life is at stake morals and ethics should not matter. We know from the Torah that if someone is trying to kill you we are allowed to kill them as self defence. If the Torah is letting us murder to save our life, then forgetting about morals also should be permitted in these times.
It is very interesting to see everyone's views on this subject. I believe, however, that at times of great stress and pressure, that a person's true character comes out. for instance, if a person is told to either kill someone or they themselves are killed, if the person shoots themselves to save the other person, than you can see that that is a truly moral person. They will do the right thing no matter what the consequence. Then again, certain people will say that that is a foolish person for not valuing their life highly enough. So I suppose it is a matter of perspective
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