<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 10/22/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">David Riceman</b> <<a href="mailto:driceman@att.net">driceman@att.net</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<a href="mailto:kennethgmiller@juno.com">kennethgmiller@juno.com</a> wrote:<br><br>The Rambam says that the function of divine law (=religion) is to induce<br>moral and intellectual perfection. You may well argue, as Rabbi Dessler
<br>does in a similar context, that perfection for the few is incompatible<br>with competence for the many. If, however, a religion has no effect on<br>its adherents, then of what value is it?<br><br>David Riceman<br><br>
</blockquote></div><br>If you take the Exodus as axiomatic then I can posit that we follow Hashem's commandments because he acquired us from Par'oh.; IOW the religion is now about serving God as a salve serves his master.
<br><br>I would posit that hashem's over-arching agenda - the preamble to our constitution so to speak - is taht we be mamleches Kohanim v'goy Kaddosh. [iirc Dayan Grunfeld says this in his intro to Horeb]<br><br>
<br>The Torah is not about SELF-PERFECTION but creating SOCIETAL perfection, i.e a mamlehces kohanim<br><br>Ergo if an individual Gentile seeks self-perfection he can become [for example] a Zen Monk.<br><br>However, if a Gentile wants to join a HOLY NATION he must become a Jew. [note how monks in MANY traditions are celibate that it is therefore impossible for them to create a perpetuating community - they must recruit outsiders.]
<br>-- <br>Kol Tuv / Best Regards,<br><a href="mailto:RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com">RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com</a><br>Please Visit: <br><a href="http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/">http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/</a>