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Others, however, have
utilized the rationalization of Torah to alter the proscriptions as, for
example, in reasoning that the Biblical prohibition against igniting a fire on
the Sabbath was applicable only in the times when making fire was physical work,
but not in an age when the mere flick of a switch creates light or heat; or that
dietary laws were necessary for prevention of certain food-borne diseases only
in the days of primitive cooking methods, but not in the modern era of
pressurized cooking; or that the proscription of marital relations following the
menstrual period until after immersion in the mikva was hygienically valid only
under the limited opportunities for bodily cleanliness, but is no longer
necessary in the era of modem plumbing.
One who adheres to Torah teachings out of faith and trust
gives no credence to these arguments, since his observance is not predicated
upon his understanding a demonstrable purpose for the instructions. Indeed, he
may argue that a system that anticipated modem scientific discoveries by some
3500 years merits his utmost trust. He will recall that for thousands of years
Jews were mocked for practicing circumcisions, and it was not until the
twentieth century that the secular world finally began emulating them. He thus
reasons that it may still be another few centuries before further scientific
discoveries validate other Torah practices, and that he prefers to be ahead of
the crowd.
Simply for the sake of discussion then, the arguments for
obsolescence of Torah practices might be looked at. It is of interest that those
who claim that modern methods of food preparation have obviated the dietary laws
do not seem to be aware that there is no field in which there is so much
controversy as to benignity vs. malignancy as in nutrition, and that there is
simply no authoritative scientific position on nutrition that one can espouse.
It is of further interest that they are unaware that at this very moment in
modern living, autopsy findings indicate up to a 15 percent incidence of
Trichinae infestation in the general population. It might be further noted that
federal meat inspection criteria fall far beneath the Rabbinic requirements for
kosher consumption. It is an everyday practice that federal meat inspectors will
condemn a vital organ such as the liver or lung as inedible because of disease,
yet approve the remainder of the carcass as "choice" or "prime." According to
Rabbinic law, however, a diseased vital organ renders the entire animal
non-kosher and hence unfit for consumption. It takes only a bit of logical
thinking to recognize that serious pathology within a vital organ may so distort
the metabolism of the entire organism that it may all be unhealthy. Although the
latter may nor yet have been scientifically demonstrated, let us recall that
scientific meat inspection is still in its infancy, having been initiated some
forty years ago, whereas Rabbinic inspection has been practiced for over three
thousand years.
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The limitation of activities on the Sabbath, far from
being obsolete, can serve as an illustration of the new applications of
immutable Torah laws under varying circumstances. One of the most difficult
problems for persons in the behavioral sciences, which is a recent phenomenon
and is assuming more serious proportions daily, is that of the inactivity and
boredom of persons retired from work. Clinically, this is manifesting itself in
a higher incidence of depressive diseases and alcoholism in the late middle aged
or early elderly population. Two unrelated factors have combined to bring about
this phenomenon. Firstly, medical science is constantly extending the life span
and an ever increasing number of people were surviving diseases which would have
been fatal only decades ago. Secondly, the enormous progress in mechanized
labor-saving devices, particularly in the fields of electronics and computers,
has sharply reduced the demand for human labor. We thus have not only shorter
work days and work weeks, but also a progressive lowering of the retirement age.
Persons in their early sixties are finding themselves pushed out of work, and it
is not at all uncommon to find retirement being encouraged in the late
fifties.
Individuals whose adult life has been essentially
centered upon work find themselves in a most distressing predicament, with an
amount of time that appears to them an eternity, but little or nothing to do
with it. A brief analysis reveals that nowhere has there been any preparation
whatsoever for constructive and enjoyable utilization of leisure. Non-working
days of vacations were always spent doing something; hunting, fishing, washing
the car, mowing the lawn, remodeling the basement, going to the ballgame, etc.
Whereas these activities can indeed be enjoyable as a respite during the working
diet, they cannot be tolerated as a regular diet. Furthermore, various physical
infirmities that are apt to develop in the later years do not permit many
activities which were easily performed at an earlier age. Nowhere in the
person's life has there been a repeated experience of absolute inactivity; an
experience which could serve as a prototype; an experience which could compel
him to develop interests which are not work or activity-oriented. Nowhere, that
is, except in the rigid observance of the Sabbath, where the proscription is not
only on work in the usual sense of the word, but also on many types of
activities which do not require physical exertion. The observer of Sabbath is
forced into learning how to use his time enjoyably and constructively when there
is little that he can do. After completing a weekly course in this experience
for fifty or sixty years, he has a distinct advantage in adjusting to years of
sharply reduced activity; he at least has the tools with which to do so.
Perhaps, this was the Psalmist's intention in his Song of the Sabbath when he
states, "They shall flourish in their older years." From the psychological and
sociological aspects, I do not know how necessary the rigid Sabbath laws were in
the days of Moses, but today they are indispensable.
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The laws regulating the sexual relationship may, indeed,
have had physical hygiene as an important dividend, and this can hardly be said
to be obsolete. Even from the purely physiological perspective, no one with any
knowledge of the intricate complexities of sexual physiology will state that all
is known. The recent discoveries of previously unknown hormone mechanisms lead
the scientist into an ever increasing sense of humility, as he again experiences
the time-proven truism that every bit of knowledge gained enables us to
appreciate how much more is yet unknown. Again, however, aspects of sexuality
other than the purely physiological must also be considered.
There is hardly anyone these days who has not reacted to
the attitudinal changes toward sexuality that have taken place in recent years,
perhaps because sexuality had been thought of only in physiological terms. Some
of the most liberal advocates of sexual non-restraint have begun to publicly
acknowledge, "Perhaps we have gone too far." One need not be a prudish
arch-conservative to be revoked by the hawking of flesh on all newsstands and
the degradation of a human experience not to a subhuman, but to a subanimal
level. Lower forms of life, at least, do not have the human ingenuity to create
perversions, and are guided by their innate instincts, whereas some humans
appear to be guided by nothing at all. An aspect of human behavior of enormous
emotional potential has been openly desecrated in store-front pornography and
street corner parlors of perversion. Not only are legislatures entertaining
bills for legalization of prostitution, but it has also come to pass that one of
the requirements of licenses under the proposed legislation is that they be
"women of good character." Selling oneself in the market place has no longer
become incompatible with noble character. The latter is but an indicator of the
consequences of sexuality being considered as purely physiological.
The concept of the mikva ritual is a most vital one.
mikva immersion is prescribed in Torah law as a purification in preparation for
events of great spiritual significance. It is a ritual of sanctification for
participation in something sacred. In Torah practice, mikva was a requisite
procedure for the High Priest before entering the Sanctuary. The ritual of mikva as a precursor to sexual relationships
following the completion of the menstrual period, carries with it a meaning that
cannot be conveyed in hundreds of sermons or reams of philosophical writings. It
indicates that there is to be a preparation for an act which, far from being
profane, is beyond being mundane and must be considered sacred. It places the
necessary emphasis on the value of the human sexual experience as a meaningful
relationship of closeness and intimacy between husband and wife, rather than as
an act of mutual masturbation, to which it is relegated when seen only as a
physiological act. Mikva is the antithesis of the current desecration of human
sexuality.
Modesty dictates that the observance of mikva be kept
most private within the family, known only to husband and wife. Yet, in the
observant household, mikva is not an unfamiliar phenomenon. The children are
aware that prior to Rosh Hashona and Yorn Kippur, father visits the mikva to
prepare himself for the most sacred days of the year. They observe that when new
utensils are acquired for use in the kitchen or dining room, they are first
taken to the mikva for ritual immersion.
The concept of mikva for sanctification of our food
utensils is far-reaching. Historically, man has dichotomized his life into
spiritual and corporeal. Various faiths have felt. these two aspects to be
mutually antagonistic, and have advocated various degrees of asceticism or
self-denial in order to achieve spirituality. The Torah philosophy abhors this
dichotomy. It teaches that every facet of a person's existence can be elevated
to become a spiritual experience. Eating is more than a physical act for
survival; it is the means for sustaining a life that is goal-directed and, as
such, becomes an integral part of an overall goal-directed existence. Whereas
others have sought the sublime in the purely spiritual realm, totally negating
man's physical habitat, or at best achieving a peaceful co-existence with it.
Torah teaches that every facet of man's life can be sublime. This concept finds
its ultimate expression in mikva, which is an absolute renunciation of a
body-soul dichotomy. Again, 1 do not know how important mikva may have been in
the days of Moses, but it is certainly indispensable today.
The above is not intended as an apology for practices
that appear obsolete. The observant Jew hardly requires rational explanations
for his religious observances. He is careful to avoid transgressing Biblical
commandments as, for example, wearing a garment of wool interwoven with linen,
although by the farthest stretch of his imagination he cannot detect any
practical value in this. The above remarks are in the same vein as those one
would make were he to see someone discarding priceless objects of art, in
ignorance of their value. It is only moral to alert him to what he is
doing. | | |
