[Avodah] Feeling and Judaism

[Richard Wolpoe]

On Tue, Jul 1, 2008 at 4:52 PM, Micha Berger <micha at aishdas.org> wrote:

>
> 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
>

I heard a drash like this
Those who put their feelings [lev] ahead of their brains [mo'ach] are a
"lemech
 But
Those who put there head [mo'ach} ahdead of their feelings [lev] are a
Melech

L'havdil FWIW, the late Albert Ellis {an anti-religious briliant eccentric]
who advocated a totally rational way of life - eventually  evolved away from
af PURE rationalism into Rational-Emotive Therapy.

Although ellis might deny it, he actually used Talmudic style dialectic to
argue with oneself out of irrational thinking, just the way the Talmud
dialectically arrives at a conclusion.

Once the proper conclusion is reached, then those emotions that support that
conclusion are "rational emotions"

Benidon didan Micha aisi  is making the same point.  Emotions must serve the
correct  conclusions arrived at via a clear mind.

BTW, that is why  AISI the ikkar aziom for doing mitzvos is that Hashem took
us out of Egypt to be HIS slaves, and rejecting the Torah would "revert us
back" so to speak to avdei Par'oh. IOW Yetzi'as mitzaryim is imho a more
fundamental axiom  in many ways than Hashem As creator, and this explains
the First Dibra as the main Ikkar.

-- 
Kol Tuv / Best Regards,
RabbiRichWolpoe at Gmail.com
see: http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/
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