Parashat Ki Tetze
By Rabbi Leonard Levin
A famous midrash tells how Moses argued with the angels that the Torah, though a creature of heaven, was destined for use on earth. œDo you have urges to murder, to commit adultery, to steal? We earthly creatures, who are imperfect, need laws to tame our urges and work for self-improvement. You are already perfect! It is we who need the Torah (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 88b-89a).
Ahad Ha-Am, similarly in his essay œPriest and Prophet, contrasted two currents in Biblical thought. The prophet had a counsel of perfection, and dreamed of a society where justice would flow like a mighty stream and the lion would lie down with the lamb. The priest proposed a practical compromise, incorporating as much of the ideal as his contemporaries could digest, moving society forward one step at a time. Read More >