Moral Mitzvot (original) (raw)

[The following was submitted by Lawrence Epstein by Email]

The Reform Movement should adopt a binding system of moral mitzvot.
Currently, individual members of the Reform Movement decide for themselves
which mitzvot to follow. An obligatory moral system separates rituals, which
are seen as customs or folkways of particular times rather than divine
obligations, from the moral teachings derived from Jewish tradition that
cohere with contemporary values. Of course, ritual and moral mitzvot cannot
always be rigidly separated. They overlap in some cases such as in the
obligations of prayer, study, and family holiday gatherings.

A system of moral mitzvot is different from traditional halakhah, the codified
rules drawn from the Bible and Talmud, from progressive halakhah, the idea
that the halakhah is evolving so that it can still be the basis for rules
governing contemporary life, and from the absence of any mandated moral
behavior.

Adopting such a system strengthens bonds to Jewish tradition without accepting
traditional halakhah. Seeing the moral mitzvot as obligatory gives the
spiritual and ethical a more tangible and prominent place in the lives of the
Movement's members.

One disadvantage is that adopting a system of mandatory mitzvot means the
voluntary surrender of some personal autonomy or freedom for Reform Jews. But
by choosing to join a faith community, Reform Jews already surrender some
individual autonomy. They can't, for example, accept Jesus as the messiah
and authentically be termed Reform Jews.

Will a required system cause current members to leave? Most Reform Jews
already believe in Jewish moral ideas or they wouldn't identify as Reform
Jews. Having a required system may also make it easier for traditional but
unaffiliated Jews who are currently reluctant to join the Reform Movement to
do so because a system of mitzvot is analogous to the halakhah they are used
to following, thus increasing membership.