In this week's Parsha Shoftim, G-d commands the Jewish People that when they enter into the Land of Israel that they should not learn from the practices of the Canaanite Nations. The Jewish People were to derive their morality from the Torah and not from the prevailing practices of the Nations of their time. Undoubtedly, the practices of those nations would be characterized as lewd, barbaric and socially unjust by today's standards but at the time those practices were completely acceptable and normative behaviour. The progression and ever changing tide of what is acceptable by society constantly changes, what determines moral behaviour in every generation is totally subjective to what the masses of that time believe.

The world, and the US in particular, is caught up in a reckoning with our past history of perceived injustices. 200 years ago slavery and segragation were normal and society didn't feel this was wrong. What changed? Did right and wrong change? Can it be then that there is no absolute right and wrong and society can just decide for itself what it deems to be right and wrong? Does popular belief serve as our moral compass?

The verse tells us though that we should not be looking to the Nations of the World, no matter how civilized and informed they may be, there is absolute right and wrong and that is what is dictated by G-d's Will (the Torah).  The Torah is our moral compass and it is never changing, what was acceptable 1,000 years ago is still morally correct today. Of course we are part of a larger society and we are commanded to even conform to society's rules and regulations as long as they don't force us to violate the Torah in any way. But following societal norms certainly doesn't mean that we should conclude that those rules are moral truths.

As we view various movements lobbying for changes we must look at those ideas and platforms from the perception of the Torah and from there we should derive what is moral and what isn't.

Shabbat Shalom,

Heath