simply say that it is a sense of what is
right or wrong is clearly an insufficient
answer; the definitions of right and
wrong seem to be subject to opinion.
While the morality of some actions,
such as murder and theft, seem selfevident, other actions may be more
ambiguous.
In fact, some morals seem to
change with the times. In medieval
era, murder and pillaging were the
norm for invading armies. Today, for
every bullet fired, a full report must be
filed. Morals also seem to vary from
culture to culture within each age.
While certain societies view women
as inferior to men, and are unable to
even walk in the streets alone out of
fear for their safety, our country has
women placed inthe highest levels
of government. With over 7 billion
people in this world, there are over
7 billion unique opinions of right
and wrong. Is it possible that the
inherent definitions of good and bad
are themselves left to the discretion
of each individual at each period in
time?
Clearly,
a
universal,
unchanging moral compass is the
only answer. We, as Jews, believe in
the Torah, written by God, and which
served as the blueprint for the world.
The laws and morals in the Torah
are not subject to change. Society’s
malleable sense of morality may
change over time, but the ageless
truths of the Torah remain resolute.
researchers in Yale. We all know that
humans are created bitzelem elokim,
with the knowledge to determine
right from wrong. Thus, the infants
knew instinctively that the puppet
that helped close the lid was the
good one, and therefore wanted
to be associated with it. It is not
surprising that this was the behavior
whose morality infants were able to
recognize, since it is a most basic
example of ”what is hateful to you,
don’t do to your friend,” and therefore
closer to the axiom Hillel refers to.
However, as people grow up and
are influenced by modern society,
they begin to have a very limited
understanding of this absolute truth.
This can lead to distorted, perverted
views capable of being defended
on “moral” grounds. It is therefore
imperative for all seekers of the truth
to recognize the Torah, the one true
and fixed source of right and wrong.
“What is hateful to you, don’t do to
your friend. This is the entire Torah,
all the rest is an elaboration.”
The morals of the Torah
can be best summarized by Hillel in
the Gemara Shabbos 31a: “What is
hateful to you, don’t do to your friend.
This is the entire Torah, all the rest
is an elaboration.” All the laws of the
Torah, down to the least understood
chukim, stem from this. To determine
what is right or wrong, one must
look into the Torah. The morals of
every issue, whether it is historical,
contemporary,
or future, are all expressly defined in
it. Granted, some are more readily
understood than others, but to the
untainted eye, all is clear.
This
is
perhaps
the
explanation of the innate morality
discovered in infants by those
CLARITY MAGAZINE march 2014
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