New answers tagged geography
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My rabbinic sources in Rome tell me that there is no written source, but that this is local minhag. --SF
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Spinoza in his Theological-Political Treatise argued that the legislation of Judaism was political legislation, necessary for the conduct of a state. According to Spinoza, the end of Jewish sovereignty made the law of Judaism irrelevant. The Torah was given before the people entered the land because Spinoza is wrong--the Jewish people are bound by the Torah ...
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Additionally, it was given in the desert (no-man's land) so that no people would be able to claim that they have no share in the Torah.
(See English comments in the Stone Chumash; I can't give a more specific reference because I don't have the book on my lap ATM, sorry).
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Mekhilta De-Rabbi Ishmael (Exodus 19:2).
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Mechilta Drav Yishmael - Yisro - Parsha 5 says that it was not given in Eretz Yisroel in order that the non Jews would not to be able to say that they did not accept it since it was given in the Jewish land. Another reason was to avoid a dispute between the Shevatim.
ומפני מה לא ניתנה תורה בארץ ישראל? שלא ליתן פתחון פה לאומות העולם, לומר: לפי שנתנה תורה ...
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In this article, Rabbi Michoel Gourarie answers [I believe based on the Lubavitcher Rebbe's explanation in Likkutei Sichos vol. 1 pg. 276]:
Humility is often erroneously associated with feelings of nothingness, self-negation, inferiority, unworthiness and being undeserving. However in truth, the consequence of these attitudes is not humility. On the ...
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There's a widespread vision of God as "up there" and some evil opposite as "down there". Up is good and down is bad in the world of vertical corollaries. You have to work to go up but going downward is oh so easy, like sin. So it follows that the torah would "come down from the mountain". Judaism has no literal recognition of God as a material being such as ...
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They say in the name of the Kotzker, that even though being haughty is disgusting in the eyes of Hashem, there is still a need for a minimal amount of haughtiness. (Shemini SheBshminis) The purpose of this minimal amount of haughtiness is in order not to be embarrassed from those who make fun of his good deeds and to realize his value in heaven. Therefore it ...
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