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Flip to reveal answersWhere does the guide say Jewish ethical principles come from?
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All 8 Flashcards — Ethical authority
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Question
Where does the guide say Jewish ethical principles come from?
Answer
The Torah — love of God in Deuteronomy 6: 4, love of neighbour in Leviticus 19: 18, and the Golden Rule.
Question
How are the mitzvot divided?
Answer
All the mitzvot are either ritual or ethical; the guide notes a good mixture of both in the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.
Question
Which mitzvot bind in every Jewish tradition?
Answer
All ethical mitzvot are binding in all traditions. Only the ritual mitzvot are disputed, and only where they no longer serve their original purpose.
Question
What limit does the guide place on forgiveness?
Answer
On Jewish teaching God is forgiving, but cannot forgive a person on behalf of another if that person has not tried to make amends.
Question
What does teshuvah mean, and where is it formalised?
Answer
Repentance, literally a turning — a change of direction rather than regret. It is formalised in the prayers of penitence before and during the High Holy Days.
Question
How does Judaism decide a new ethical question?
Answer
Through halakhah — rabbinical debate based on interpretation of the Torah's legal material — continued in law codes and responsa, in Orthodoxy always going back to first principles.
Question
What does Bava Kama 38b show about Jewish ethics?
Answer
The biblical principle behind "an eye for an eye" developed through rabbinic discussion into a law of compensation — the text developed rather than applied literally.
Question
What is aggadah's role in Jewish ethics?
Answer
It is the part of the Talmud dealing with ethics and moral values, including narrative material on exemplary figures — so character is taught by story as well as conduct by rule.
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Topic 5.5 hub
Ethics and moral conduct
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