Comments on: Piety and Unintended Consequences http://morethodoxy.org/2009/06/02/piety-and-unintended-consequences/ Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:13:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Hyim Shafner http://morethodoxy.org/2009/06/02/piety-and-unintended-consequences/#comment-6 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:42:58 +0000 http://morethodoxjudaism.wordpress.com/?p=26#comment-6 I think what Barry is saying is true, that focus solely on piety with out an open mind can lead to dry observance of mitzvot. On the other hand, though I personally think diversity is important for the Jewish people, that does not mean that within homogeneous communities there can not be depth of philosophical thought. It requires only a willingness to entertain ideas beyond one ’s self. I think even from a place of personal piety if we looked closely enough at Hazal to realize how wide thinking they were willing to be (such as much of agadah) this would lead to integration of the deeper sides of Judaism.

]]> By: Asher Lopatin http://morethodoxy.org/2009/06/02/piety-and-unintended-consequences/#comment-4 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:49:52 +0000 http://morethodoxjudaism.wordpress.com/?p=26#comment-4 Rav Barry,

Excellent analysis. One approach and question might be: Maybe a diverse religious environment, with people on different levels of observance and with different ideas about what observance is, leads to more observance, even a better handle on halacha and what it means? So that if we really want to be halachic Jews, we should strive for that diversity, rather than shirk from it. True there are dangers to diversity, but greater opportunities even when our primary value may be Torah and Mitzvot.

Asher

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