Date: 2008-10-14 05:59 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
It's true that the tradition of questioning is not modern in Judaism. Studying the scriptures and trying to determine God's exact will is considered a mitzvah, a religious duty. Anyone who has done serious study of the Talmud (in other words, not me) can find various different interpretations of the same verse, including ones which directly oppose one another. One of the things I like is that in a lot of cases, scripture is reinterpreted by rabbis and scholars in order to fit the circumstances. Very practical, considering the dangers Jews have experienced over a long history. There is always the attempt to strike a balance between holding to their beliefs and culture, and the need to survive in a hostile world.

"You always have choices," is both true and untrue. It's true that you always have choices about how you will respond to something, at least internally. I've read stories about women in the concentration camps who made the choice to live godly lives and reach out to others in any way they could. The degree of spiritual and emotional freedom they experienced as a result was awe-inspiring. On the other hand, they had things they identified as miracles to keep them going. Not everybody gets that. Some situations are unbearable no matter how you approach them.

In a lot of situations, if you're willing to accept negative consequences, you have choices. To a certain extent, that's unavoidable; to effect change, we have to take risks. But to say that means there is always choice is disingenuous. Sometimes, the risks are all unacceptable.

My other problem with the idea that there are always choices is that the idea is often taken up by the oppressing group and used as a reason not to change.
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