Our Moral Code

1. Our Moral Code

Our Torah is called Toras Emes and Toras Chayim as it speaks words of truth and kindness. The proper attitude towards its commandments is one of deference to and acceptance of the Almighty’s Authority, but the underlying message is “Parental Guidance” offered by a caring Father who selflessly instructs His children “You must obey Me for your own good”.

As a people, we are constantly evolving and discovering new truths and realities. We are infinitely distant from knowing everything. We will never know the far-reaching effects of our actions and behaviour patterns. G-d has given the human race the freedom to choose from a rich variety of healthy lifestyles while caringly guiding us with His Commandments (The 7 Noahide Laws: Universal Morality) to save us from making scholarly and philosophically inspired mistakes similar to those made in Germany during the second world war where the value of human life was left unappreciated and disregarded. The human mind is limited and without the proper guidance from Above, man is often unable to recognize the proper and appropriate moral principles so that he could make the right choices. [See here for the Lubavitcher Rebbe's thoughts and advice regarding certain mental health issues and problems.]

The Torah was gifted to the Jewish people some 3300 years ago, and the time will come when mankind will acknowledge its vital role in ushering in the final redemption where peace, prosperity and happiness will be the only conditions we will know.

Tradition has it that at the end of Israel’s exile, the Jewish people will be in a better position to share G-d’s wisdom with the nations of the world. Old school mentality assumes that the Gentile nations will ignore G-d’s Advice. This contrast would prove virtuous for the Jewish People who as a nation remained steadfast to His entire Torah (613 Mitzvos) throughout the millennia of their challenging and tough survival. The Rebbe suggested otherwise. His vision was that the Gentile world would eventually heed the loving Words of our Living G-d and this merit would grant them too a portion in the World of our righteous Redeemer.

2. Our economic system 

The golden standard

Like many other modern countries today, Australia is a meritocracy where advancement is performance based. Everyone with skill and imagination may aspire to get ahead.

But like any other system, meritocracy isn’t flawless.

Yale University Law Professor Daniel Markovitz (author of The Meritocracy Trap) argues that meritocracy "banishes the majority of citizens to the margins of their own society". In his view, the tyranny of merit serves no one in the end. "Meritocratic inequality divides society into the useless and the used up."

Man made political systems aim to achieve certain particular social advantages. For example, Capitalism places a greater emphasis on productivity and personal growth whereas Communism aims to provide fairness equality and sharing of resources. The ideal approach is the one we are obliged to follow according to Torah (God’s Law) as it incorporates the advantages of each economic and political system. It allows and even encourages successful (honest and fair) private enterprise while, at the same time, obligates the affluent and wealthy to support those less fortunate. According to Torah Law, the Court must enforce a partial redistribution so that everyone is left comfortable.

Tzedoko is often incorrectly translated as ‘charity’. Tzedoko means to do what is ‘right’. God created rich and poor people so that through the magical act of sharing we can become partners with Him in creation. Listen to this amazing story!

Instead of insatiability and greed, the desire to become an even greater benefactor and philanthropist should be one's primary motivation and reason to achieve greater wealth and a more comfortable life style.

In this context, the term 'wealthy' does not refer to a person that possesses a big house, a luxurious car or a yacht but rather to the more generous donor and benefactor who exploits his ability to support the insolvent or impoverished. Accordingly, the ‘poor’ man isn't poor because he's destitute or penniless; he’s poor because he’s a ‘beneficiary’ or ‘recipient’ of another person’s generosity. His money isn’t his because he earned it. It's his because someone else decided to share.

Competition shouldn’t only function as a motivation for productivity by expecting its players to outdo one another and get ahead.  As in all healthy relationships, the human race as a whole should behave like one organic body where competition finds predominant expression in its constituents' desire to give more than it each one receives.

Isn’t it about time that this system be restored and reinstated?

3. Upright, Godly relationships

The Torah governs every aspect of our lives and love and intimacy are no different. God expects each and every human being to align him/herself with The 7 Noahide Laws: Universal Morality.  To be clear, it's not the inclination or orientation that one might be born with that God abhors but rather the procuring of such (unhealthy) passions and desires (Vayikro 20:13). Unfortunately, society has deteriorated to the point that it no longer criticises some of these behaviors and lifestyles. Once upon a time, intimacy with one's spouse was the only ethically acceptable and honorable way of life. Yeilding to an innate lust for incest, homosexuality, bestiality or to have such a relationship with someone other than his or her spouse was a betrayal of a basic principle of society. This standard was respected and guarded because people believed in God and His Torah.

Humans are often described as sophisticated animals that seek energy and pleasure to feed their bodies. Without the Guidance we were given at Mount Sinai, morality is a subjective quality. And so, as governments around the word began to decay and mankind acclimatised, their sense of the Omnipresent weakened and ideologically warped atheistic conjectures (such as the big bang) began to replace the belief that we were created in the image of God. And governments that are obliged to educate the masses about the existence of God and govern them according to His Rules were instead -and continue to be - led by the wishes of the majority of their constituents. 

Sadly, marriage is no longer invariably recognised as sacred and to proudly share one's alternative lifestyle has become an exciting sign that one is current, modern and contemporary. 

Following the current trajectory, society is bound to embrace such indecencies (even) on the streets in full view of little children, because people adjust psychologically and behaviorally to changes in the environment and what is currently considered crude and rudimentary will inevitably become accepted, applauded and extolled. 

But we can change this trajectory by spreading the knowledge of God together with His humanitarian Laws. By spreading the knowledge of God around the world, we merit to take part in the fulfillment of the prophesy [Isaiah 11:9] that in the Messianic Times, "The world will be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the ocean bed."