Sunday 31 July 2011

Results of Poll on: Societal Values and Torah

In our last poll, we inquired:

New Poll: Societal Values and Torah
 
How much should Torah control our secular life? 
How many Societal Values should inform our behaviour?
 
Roughly moving from Left to Right
A) Torah indeed does inform our ritual behaviour, yet not beyond. 
As such, we take its strictures strictly, but narrowly.  Midrash  
and Aggadah are nice stories but we essentially and ultimately 
take our cues, in the broader moral and ethical realm, from 
Society's Liberal or Libertarian Mores.  Thus, w/o definite rules 
to the contrary, we do ordain women, etc.
B) We follow Halachah and that adherence inherently places a 
parameter on our behavioural options in a broad context. When it 
comes to Hashqafah, though, we merge or synthesize Torah Values 
with Secular Values thus allowing greater possibilities and, even, 
innovations.  This creates a desired dialectic tension. 
[Torah uMada - TuM]
C) We do engage and live IN the World but we are not OF this world.   
Everything we do is informed by Torah Values. Those aspects of 
society that DO conform with Torah Values we do embrace.  Others 
we reject w/o any compromise or synthesis. 
[RSR Hirsch - Torah im Derech Eretz - TiDE]
D) Torah is Divine.  This World is mired in the Satan and Yetzer 
Hara paradigm  We remain insular and keep Torah Only, interacting 
honestly, pursuant to our standards, with society - but to the 
bare minimum. sad

Which do you choose?

Your Responses (total 6)
Choice A - 17% (1)
Choice B - 66% (4)
Choice C - 17% (1)
 
Choice D - 00% (0)

Comment
Rabbi Hecht
 
The responses were very much in line with what I would expect from people interested in Nishma. I think that the response I would be most comfortable with would also be B.

No comments: