[Avodah] individualism

[Joel Rich]

From, The Paths of Providence -Chaim Gross

This articulates one of my deepest frustrations:

One of the hallmarks of modernity was the adoption (in the 18th and 19th
centuries) of individualism as the basis by which political and social
groups are structured. This principle values the individual over the
community to a much greater extent than under previous political and social
systems; the focus is on the moral worth of each person, and the freedom by
each person to achieve his separate goals and desires. Thus, for example,
the American Declaration of Independence states that all men are endowed by
their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.
After two hundred years, the secular emphasis on the individual has become
so internalized that we accept it unconditionally. Without giving it too
much thought, we have extrapolated this value to all aspects of our lives.
Thus, in the religious domain, the primary drama has become the extent to
which we, as individuals, are maximizing our spiritual potential.
Similarly, Divine Providence is generally evaluated in terms of its
perceived impact on ourselves and other individuals within our sphere of
knowledge.
But this is not necessarily a valid perspective according to longstanding
Jewish tradition. Here, the main emphasis has always been on the community.
The Torah typically addresses itself to the nation in its entirety. At
Mount Sinai, for example, prior to the giving of the torah, G-d concisely
instructed Moshe about the ultimate goal of Judaism

Thoughts?

Bsorot Tovot

Joel Rich
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