[Avodah] Fwd (torahweb at torahweb.org): Rabbi Michael Rosensweig - Kedoshim Tihiyu: The Obligation to Internalize Halachic Values and Adopt a Halachic World View

[Micha Berger]

RMR takes a very Brisker view of the world. "Halchic Worldview".

Very different from recent discussions here of REB and R Rackoff (the
latter was just aposted link), and their need for values. IMHO,
incorrect because it veers too far from the other side of the shevil
hazahav.

To put it another way, one that will resonate with the sort of people
who may read this vort and nod, thinking "Halachic Man"... The "erev
Shabbes yid" isn't part of the halachic worldview. There is no din
requiring people live Fri feeling the anticipation of Shabbos in the
air.

I also thinks he mischaracterizes the Ramban. The Ramban talks about
"religious personality" as RMR puts it. How is that "internalizing
halachic values"? It's internalizing the values that underly and GO
BEYOND "reshus haTorah".

I think this conflation is endemic to the Brisker error.

-Micha

----- Forwarded message from TorahWeb <torahweb at torahweb.org> -----
Kedoshim Tihiyu:
The Obligation to Internalize Halachic Values and Adopt a Halachic World View
Rabbi Michael Rosensweig

Parshat Kedoshim begins in unusual fashion when Moshe is charged
to assemble and address the entire nation ("daber el kol adat Benei
Yisrael"). The midrash notes that this Torah section was directly conveyed
to Kelal Yisrael because it establishes critical Torah principles ("gufei
Torah teluyin bah"). The Ramban and Ibn Ezra develop another midrashic
idea that this parshah parallels the aseret ha-dibrot.

However, instead of an obviously profound communication that would
justify the need for a special convocation and that would account for
this parallel to the aseret ha-dibrot, we read simply of the obligation to
cultivate sanctity, "kedoshim tihiyu". How does this basic requirement to
seek holiness constitute a major tenet of Judaism that also reintroduces
a repetition of the aseret ha-dibrot?

To appreciate the significance of "kedoshim tihiyu" it is important to
realize that cultivating kedushah pervades the Jewish consciousness
on both a national and individual plane. "Ve-atem tihiyu mamlechet
kohanim ve-goy kadosh" succinctly encapsulates our national aspiration,
while striving for kedushah is a personal mission driven by the most
fundamental theme of imatatio dei (imitating Divine conduct) - "ki kadosh
ani Hashem Elokeichem."

While Rashi and the Rambam mostly focus on the need to be scrupulous in
resisting sin and temptation generally and specifically as it relates
to the issue of arayot, the Ramban projects the obligation to cultivate
kedushah as a fundamental approach to halachic life. He formulates
kedoshim tihiyu as the requirement to strive to internalize halachic
values, insuring their application beyond the obligatory norm. He seems
to extend this analysis to argue that kedushah relates to the cultivation
of a religious personality ("aval ha-perishut hi...she-baaleha nikraim
perushim"). Indeed, the Ramban strongly condemns individuals who abuse
and exploit the halachic system by scrupulously observing the letter
of halachic law, ever the while trampling on its fundamental values and
contravening its most sacred principles. Kidoshim tihiyu, as understood
by the Ramban, demands that we not only punctiliously observe halachic
law but that we embrace a broad halachic worldview.

In Vayikra, the Ramban (parshat Emor) explains Sabbath observance based
on this doctrine. In his commentary on Devarim, the Ramban applies his
perspective to the domain of civil law and the definition of justice and
righteousness ("ve-asita ha-yashar ve-hatov"), as well. He reiterates
that the Torah addresses man both in terms of specific obligations and
broader values that are rooted in these details. Each of these dimensions
constitutes a critical component in avodat Hashem. Specific halachic
obligations provide an objective structure and sanctify specific actions
while broader principles reflect a deeper sense of purpose, intensify
halachic commitment, and shape individual identity. Torah study is the
primary vehicle that enables the internalization of halachic values. In
this sense, too, Torah study is a supreme pursuit (keneged kulam),
as it is the linchpin for achieving the objective of kedoshim tihiyu.

We may now better comprehend the unusual introduction of parshat
Kedoshim. The communication of kedoshim tihiyu is simple yet enormously
profound and ambitious. It qualifies as "gufei Torah" and justifies both
a national convocation and a reiteration of the themes of the asseret
ha-dibrot. Parshat Kedoshim evokes the event and themes of mattan Torah
within the framework of a newly articulated motif that establishes
the Torah as a system of binding values that are reflected and rooted
in but not restricted to specific halachic norms. If we embrace this
aspiration both as individuals and a nation, we will merit the appellation
"mamlechet kohanim ve-goy kadosh" based on the inspiration of "ki kadosh
ani Hashem Elokeichem".

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