Current mood:

curious

Halakha
Back to my favorite topic. I am creating a meme. Why do you do halakha--whatever that means to you--I'd like to know. Simply add in comments or stick it in your lj. Whatever you choose, let me know that you did, so I can read it! There are several standard answers. I assume that yours will begin with one of the traditional categories and then branch of from there. People probably have more than one reason, unless their reason is the first one, in which case, that may be enough. here was my remembering from Rabbi Golinkin's book
1) Because Gd said so
2) Respect for Gd
3) Because my ancestor's did
4) In respect for Jewish tradition
5) Chain of tradition/jewish survival
 6) Expression of Jewishness
 7) It is fun


Here is the magic of the internet: (http://groups.msn.com/judaismfaqs/whyshouldwefollowjewishlaw.msnw)
A. Theocentric reasons
a. We observe the laws, quite simply, because our tradition teaches us that they were revealed by God himself to our teacher, Moses, at Mount Sinai. The tradition records that the laws of the Oral law were also divinely revealed.
b. Many people do not believe in a literal word for word revelation at Mt. Sinai, because of internal contradictions within the Torah, and because of the Torah's similarity to other ancient sources. Conservative / Traditional Jews do believe that the Torah was revealed by God; However, they see the Torah as man's record of that encounter, and the Jewish people's interpretation of God's will. Hence, the Torah is a document both divine and human, but ultimately the authority does indeed again derive from God.

Both approaches stress the partnership of God and Man. The commandments within the Torah express the eternal brit [covenant] made between God and the Jewish people. As Moses states in Deuteronomy: "It was not with our fathers that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, the living, every one of us who is here today. Face to face the Lord spoke to you on the mountain out of the fire." This statement would not be surprising if it had been made to the people who had been present at the revelation at Mt. Sinai. But Moses is speaking to their children forty years later -and yet he says "us", "every one of us", "you" ! His point was that the covenant was not a one shot deal; it is renewed in every generation as Moses clearly explains at the end of Deuteronomy: "I make this covenant not with you alone, but both with those who are standing here this day before the Lord our God and with those who are not with us here this day.

 B. Ethnocentric reasons
1. Halakhah is the cement that binds together the scattered "bricks" of the Jewish people. Without it, the Jewish people would have long ago disappeared. The mitzvot tie every Jew in the world together with every other Jew in the world, as we all perform the same mitzvot.
2. The mitzvot are the golden chain which binds us and our children to our ancestors, and to the history of our people. Without them we would lose our continuity and we would feel like orphans in history.
3. The greatest threat to the Jewish people is assimilation and intermarriage. For thousands of years the mitzvot have protected the Jewish people from these threats.

C. Anthropocentric reasons
1. Mitzvot are a means of self-discipline, of improving character and of making us better human beings.
 2. Mitzvot are enjoyable! They uplift the spirit and bring joy to the heart