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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>It seems to me that we can talk about the main idea
of Judaism in terms of two things: (1) the message of Judaism to the world
(which also includes us) and (2) the main idea of Judaism in terms of
what a Jew is supposed to be and do.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>It seems to me that the message of Judaism in
the first sense is "ein od milvado". This isn't a purely theological
statement, It has implications for how everyone at the level of
consciousness (i.e., the recognition of God) and at the level of practice (i.e.,
that we should be living in the world in consonance with His will
and in order to express the ideas of harmony, unity, truth, peace and
purpose/meaning with which He created the world and which are the nearest
we can get in an attempt to emulate Him.) </FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>As far as the second main idea of Judaism (in terms
of what a Jew is supposed to be and do), it seems to me that "Kedoshim tihiyu"
is an explicit statement of that. The Meshekh Hokhma's
definition of this mitzva encapsulates its essential meaning: to
dedicate everything to God--our time, our energies, our possessions, our
relationships, etc. (This is not to disregard the Ramban on the pasuk, but
to broaden the definition considerably.) For me, personally, the Netziv's
understanding of how the mitzva is applied to individuals is a central
ingredient in the main idea of Judaism, and dovetails nicely with elements in
hassidut. He follows the Ramban's approach (perishut min hamutarot), but
points out that the definition of perishut will differ from individual to
individual and will change with life circumstances. To me,
this connects with the idea that every Jew has something unique in his
shoresh haneshama (Netivot Shalom, but others as well) that finds a particular
expression in his avodat Hashem. Or, as the Ramhal puts it: the
person has to clarify for himself, "ma hovati be'olami" (What is *my* obligation
in *my* world?) This goes beyond the hiyuv of mitzvot to something equally
and sometimes much more profound--a genuinely personal relationship with
Hashem.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Kol tuv,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Simi Peters</FONT></DIV>
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