[Avodah] De-Chokifying Arayos (including MZ)

Meir Shinnar via Avodah avodah at lists.aishdas.org
Thu Jul 23 07:12:32 PDT 2015


Again, one has to be very careful. There are four different sources here.

1)Shmona Prakim -- chapter 4 -- where reason for laws on arayot is to
limit Sexuality -- in the sense of a golden mean.

2)Shmona Prakim -- chapter 6 -- where desire for things forbidden only
by halakhah is endorsed as not a spiritual flaw

3) MN 3:35, where he describes category 14 of mitzvot -- relating to
arayot -- in terms similar to source 1, as the rambam notes and meforshim
point out.

4) MN 3:49 -- where purpose of hilchot arayot is to instill disgust --
not merely control and limit

Therefore, RZL is correct that MN 3:35 refers to Spm but chapter 4. One
can reconcile sources 1,2 and 3, or 1,3 and 4 -- but difficult to recocile
all 4.

I would ad that source 2 is problematic, in that it's view of halakhah
as an almost arbitrary set of limitations, seems quite different than
the rambam's normal presentation of the purpose of Halacha.

Meir Shinnar



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