[Avodah] Feeling and Judaism

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, Jun 29, 2008 at 06:28:18AM -0400, Prof. Levine wrote:
: Judaism does not turn to feeling, is not satisfied with feeling, is 
: not a religion of feeling; Judaism turns to the intellect, wants to 
: be grasped by the mind to guide the will, to regulate the whole of 
: our workaday, breadwinning life with its pleasures and all its 
: ramifications and to subjugate it to God's law. Not feeling, only 
: cognitive reason, bright with the rays of God's word, can fortify 
: against life's trials and temptations awaiting the Jew.
: This quote is from page 63 of Modernity Within Tradition by Mordechai 
: Breuer, who attributes it to RSRH.

My first reaction was "Rachmana liba ba'i". But then I remembered thos
who translat Chovos haLvavos as "Duties of the Mind" -- who said that in
classical Jewish symbology that leiv = emotions?

Then I wondered about AYH -- aren't ahavah and yir'ah emotional
responses? And ve'ahavta lerei'akha is a kelal gadol.

RMBreuer could be read as saying that Judaism wants feeling harnessed
by intellect, and thus "is not satisfied with feeling" becayse "only
cognitive reason ... can fortify against life's trials and temptations".

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Man can aspire to spiritual-moral greatness
micha at aishdas.org        which is seldom fully achieved and easily lost
http://www.aishdas.org   again. Fullfilment lies not in a final goal,
Fax: (270) 514-1507      but in an eternal striving for perfection. -RSRH